Grace for sacrifice: Investing yourself fully in the ministry opportunities God gives you – in both extraordinary and ordinary situations – will help you build a wall of grace that will draw others to God. Be willing to serve whenever God calls you to do so. Don’t overlook the power of small acts of sacrifice that add up to awesome amounts of grace.

Grace for responsibility: God’s grace is a blessing that comes along with the responsibility to change the world for the better. Use your circle of influence among the people you relate to by pointing the way to God and modeling a faithful life. Others are watching to see how well you’ll represent Christ. Rely on God’s grace to represent Him well.

Grace for gratitude: There’s no greater gift to be thankful for than Jesus’ gift of dying on the cross to pay for your sins and save you. Your gratitude is steeped in grace that can propel you forward into a better future when you remember Jesus’ sacrifice and respond to it.

Grace for humility: God will give you the grace to be great when you humble yourself before Him. When you stop focusing on gaining attention for yourself and concentrate on bringing God glory, His grace will empower you to accomplish much more than you ever could on your own.

Grace for healing: You’re never too damaged for God to use to accomplish wonderful things. Offer God all of the wounds you’ve suffered, and trust Him to bring you the healing you need. Stay close to God through the healing process and watch Him transform you in unexpected ways, by His grace.

Grace for forgiveness: It’s only through the power of God’s grace that you can truly forgive people who’ve hurt you. But God’s grace is strong enough to help you forgive absolutely anything. So rely on that grace, and answer God’s call to forgive others – just as God has forgiven you.

Grace for witness: When you share your faith with others, God will honor your effort and pour out His grace to use your witness powerfully in the lives of those you hope to reach with the Gospel. Even if you don’t see any conversions, God’s grace will be at work in those people’s lives. You may see them come to God when you least expect it – thanks to God’s grace. So don’t hesitate to share your faith, and trust God for the results.

Grace for justice: Let God’s grace compel you to help bring His justice to people struggling with the world’s social issues. Ask yourself: “What are the problems in the world?”, “What is fueling them?”, “How am I part of the problem?”, and “How do I become a problem-solver?”. Pray for God to give you the grace you need to feel compassion for people in need and work to bring justice in the situations they face. Through God’s grace, use your spiritual power boldly for justice.

Grace for heaven: God’s grace will stay with you as you move from this life to the next. Rest assured that God will give you the grace you’ll need to face your death and join Him in your eternal home. Have confidence in the fact that God will also give your loved ones the grace they’ll need to go on after you leave.

Grace for completion: You can complete your life on earth well if you rely on God’s grace to help you live for Him to the fullest. Keep praying for a fresh supply of grace each day that you’re alive, trusting that God always has more valuable work for you to until He brings you home to heaven.

Adapted from Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places, copyright 2008 by L.L. Barkat.  Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Ill., www.ivpress.com. 
L.L. Barkat is a speaker and writer for WTW Ministry in New York. She is a former magazine designer, art director, editorial consultant and ad copywriter. Barkat also manages Social Issues Reading Clubs for persons who want to be informed about social issues and ways they can benefit the world community. She blogs at www.seedlingsinstone.blogspot.com.