I once heard someone describe his troublesome life like this: "Each day is just yesterday warmed up!" Yes, life sometimes dishes up a diet of old problems disguised as new ones. It's like the frugal housewife who feeds her family for a week on leftovers from Sunday dinner, serving the same old food in different disguises.

It was into such a tiresome, troublesome world that Jesus came. The apostle John said that Jesus is full of grace and truth, and He supplies us with "grace for grace" (1:14,16).

Years ago, Amy Carmichael shared some helpful insights about the phrase, "grace for grace." Drawing from the writings of Bishop Moule (1841-1920), she wrote that the Greek word translated "for" literally means "instead of." He illustrated the meaning by describing a river. "Stand on its banks," he wrote, "and contemplate the flow of waters. A minute passes, and another. Is it the same stream still? Yes. But is it the same water? No." The old water, he explained, had been displaced by new--"water instead of water."

The same is true of grace. Your life today may carry yesterday's problems, but remember, God's grace is new each morning, exactly what you need to meet each new challenge. It is an inexhaustible and ever-fresh supply.  — Joanie Yoder