By the Grace of God

I was reading in the book, When Sinners Say I Do, and I was struck by a thought by Dave Harvey. He was discussing the story of David's sin with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel. When David sinned with Bathsheba, he was not left without consequences. The story in the Bible tells of the prophet Nathan who approached David and rebuked him. Nathan told the story of a man who had stolen a sheep and pointed out David's sin to him using this familiar example that David connected with. David had been a sheep herder and knew the importance of a sheep to his master. Nathan was willing to go to David to see him reconciled to God.
Harvey pointed this out, "There are two amazing dynamics at work in this historical snapshot. First God pursues sinners. God's love is relentless. Even when we are blinded by sin, he refuses to let go. God pursued David with a tireless love. Second God uses sinners to pursue sinners. Nathan, like David, was a man prone to the same temptations and failures as David. But God had given David a ministry in that moment. He was a sinner called to help another sinner become reconciled to God."
Nathan was available. He knew God's commands and that David's sin had affected himself and others. He was willing to overcome fear and comfort on his part to confront David. And he humbled himself to go, recognizing that only God could do the part in David's life to bring repentance.
It is always a little overwhelming to think that I as a sinner might be able to help another sinner see God more clearly. Using the right timing and the right words, I might be able to say or do something that could bring God some glory. That is grace!
We only destroy that grace when we somehow think that we can change a person. We cannot convict or change anyone. All we can do is point them to the cross and then pray that while they are at the cross they will see their need for a Savior. If I think I can do anything on my own, then I am not seeing any grace of God in my life, and the person I counsel will perhaps not see God either - only me, a sinner. Only by God's grace can I do anything good.