Session 4 (The Pace of Grace)

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Today, ask God for a second chance… Allow yourself to see the patterns of how you have responded… all its manifestations in your life… in the core of your being… and in the deepest roots that you possess… Invite God to refresh the life that flows within your being… 

Luke 13:6-9

‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, “See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?” He replied, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”'

         Imagine the life that you are living now as a tree… See the branches that are bearing fruit… See also the branches that are withering away… these are the outward manifestations of your moment-by-moment response to God… Take a moment to ponder the things that are going well in your life… and the things that are perhaps not… 

         Now see the trunk of the tree of your life which carries life to the branches… this is the core of your response to God… it is also the core of your lack of response… Ask God for a word or a phrase that will help you understand what has been happening at the core of your being… without trying to change what is there, ask for God’s help… 

         Now peer into the base of the trunk… here are the roots of your response to God in the story of your life… Notice the roots that are healthy and strong… Notice the roots that are wounded and broken… Take a moment to recognise that these roots go down into your family, your culture, your faith community… Realise that many of these things were beyond your control… Ask Jesus for a second chance… Speak to him about the refreshment you need to bear the fruit that he desires… 

You have given all to me 

To you, Lord, I return it 

Everything is Yours, do with it what You will 

Give me only Your love and Your grace, 

That is enough for me. 

Amen.