Don’t Run on Empty: Daily Grace Is Still Flowing

By Charles Jones

There was a time I thought I could handle it all on my own.

When my daughter was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, my world tilted. My first instinct wasn’t to pray — it was to research. I poured myself into study, medical journals, treatment options, anything I thought could help heal her. I was desperate. But in that desperation, I leaned more on my own understanding than on God’s strength. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was running on spiritual fumes.

Maybe you’ve been there too — pushing through grief, stress, or struggle with everything but Christ. Maybe your version looks different: powering through work without rest, holding your family together without ever casting your cares on God, or doing ministry on autopilot while your soul quietly dries up. It's easy to do. We tell ourselves we're "handling it." But we weren’t meant to live on yesterday’s strength.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”— Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV)

That verse isn’t just for people who are lost — it’s for people who are running. Running on empty. Running without refueling. Running from a God who still says, “Come unto me.”

What changed for me wasn’t the situation — it was the surrender. I realized that no amount of research could replace resting in Christ. That no amount of striving could earn the peace He freely gives. It was then that His grace became more than a concept — it became a well I had to draw from daily.

God’s Grace Isn’t a One-Time Gift

Sometimes we treat God’s grace like it was something we received at salvation and then had to ration out for the rest of our lives. But Scripture is clear:

“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”— Lamentations 3:22–23 (KJV)

Every morning. Not once a year at revival. Not only when we’ve had a “good” week. Every morning.

Grace doesn’t mean we live however we want and assume God is okay with it. That’s lasciviousness. But neither does failure mean we’re disqualified from returning. The path is clear: Repent. Be willing to be changed. Come again.

God’s grace is not for the perfect — it’s for the willing.

When You’ve Failed, Come Anyway

Maybe you feel like you’ve blown it too many times. That God’s tired of seeing you crawl back. Let me say this clearly: God’s grace is enough. It doesn’t run out. It doesn’t wear thin. And it’s not given with a clenched jaw — it’s given with open arms.

You don’t have to fake strength you don’t have. You just need to return to the Source of it.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”— Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)

That throne is open today.

A Final Word of Encouragement

If you’re tired, spiritually dry, or just trying to get through the week — I’ve been there. But you don’t have to stay there. Start the morning in surrender. Kneel before God before you ever pick up your phone. Let His mercy cleanse what yesterday left behind. Let His grace strengthen what today requires.

Don't live on yesterday’s bread. His mercies are new this morning. Go and get them.