Grace is an amazing thing. It was brought to us through Jesus Christ. The Bible says it was grace that allowed Christ to die for us. Stop and think about that for a minute. Do you know Jesus? Are you living to be more like Him? He left us an example of how to live and one of the greatest examples is found in His death. It was grace that allowed Him to do it.
If we understand grace it will effect our lives. It is what establishes us in God. Many pursue knowledge as a way to be grounded in their faith. Knowledge of God will multiply grace to us according to 2 Peter. Knowledge alone does not establish us in Christ. Understanding the grace given to us is what allows us to persevere and steward grace to others. Grace destroys pride. In fact, God gives grace to the humble.
Understanding grace will compel us to serve others. When we steward the grace of God it is not voluntarily. Understanding grace brings us to a place of stewardship that is from compulsion. Have you experienced God’s grace but not been moved to a place of showing that grace to others. Many are waiting to find a place that fits them. They look for a desirable way to serve God. In this age of smorgasbord ministry we can be lured into waiting to find the perfect fit for our lives. Grace is rarely found in a place that fits our lives.
If you want to experience the grace of God more fully, you must follow God to the place where you need His grace the most. Jesus did this as an example for us and it allows us to participate in stewarding God’s grace to others. Even in His most desperate hour Jesus found grace that was sufficient. Of that moment when He cried in desperation the scripture says of God’s response to Him. - For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.
Grace is best found when we run to serve those that others avoid.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Have You Found It?
“It” is an amazing thing. It saved Noah from the flood. It saved Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It exalts servants to become rulers and widows to find new husbands. It brings a child to the barren. It comes by way of Jesus Christ and when we find it we are to abide in it. When we experience it we are to testify to others about it. Through it we believe and will receive salvation. Our faith gives us access to it through Christ. It is sufficient for us to do all things and it can provide for us to do every good work. The proud do not receive it but the humble will find it. It is the inheritance of those that obey Christ. We are stewards of it.
It is Grace. It is kindness we do not deserve. It is the favor of God. Grace does not promise an easy life. It does not promise us luxury and ease. Grace is a gift that we must understand in order to walk uprightly in it. We must always keep in mind our own fallen and broken state so that pride does not rob us of the grace of God. To understand Grace is to become able to walk in lowly circumstances and begin to steward the most precious thing we have ever been given – God’s favor. Grace allows us to engage the broken in a real relationship of reconciliation. Grace permits us to look past the surface. Grace makes it possible to walk in any circumstance and continue to see God working around us.
Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Finding grace changes us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God. Finding grace is not a one-time event but rather a daily experience found as we walk in obedience to God’s commands. May you find the grace of God and then show the same to others.
It is Grace. It is kindness we do not deserve. It is the favor of God. Grace does not promise an easy life. It does not promise us luxury and ease. Grace is a gift that we must understand in order to walk uprightly in it. We must always keep in mind our own fallen and broken state so that pride does not rob us of the grace of God. To understand Grace is to become able to walk in lowly circumstances and begin to steward the most precious thing we have ever been given – God’s favor. Grace allows us to engage the broken in a real relationship of reconciliation. Grace permits us to look past the surface. Grace makes it possible to walk in any circumstance and continue to see God working around us.
Behold our shield, O God,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.
For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O LORD of hosts,
How blessed is the man who trusts in You!
Finding grace changes us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God. Finding grace is not a one-time event but rather a daily experience found as we walk in obedience to God’s commands. May you find the grace of God and then show the same to others.
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