Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9; 2 Corinthians 8:9; 2 Corinthians 9:8
Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
2 Corinthians `12:9
The Grace of God is the expression of His unmerited favor on all who, by faith, believe in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is, I believe, the catalyst of His mercy, an expression of His love, and His power at work through me.
God’s grace is the expression of His love toward sinners, a demonstration of favor that is not merely adequate, but abundant.
Jen Wilkin, In His Image – p 86
When I was six I chose to ask Jesus to save me … I don’t remember the actual date on the calendar, but I know that it was on a Sunday morning and where I was sitting in the church. I don’t know exactly what was preached but I know that I knew I wanted to be saved from my sins, and I’m pretty sure the song, “Just As I Am” was playing as I moved forward. God was a part of our family and home. Church was a part of our life, Sundays and Wednesdays, choir practices, VBS, and eventually youth group, falling in love and then walking the same aisle as a bride that I had walked at the age of six to be saved. However, it wasn’t until I was about 26 that I heard a message about the Grace of God. Grace that was more than a means to the free gift of salvation but also the means to live in a relationship with God. Somehow I had missed that we are to “grow in grace and truth.” I had been striving from 6 to 26 to be “godly” and to turn away from “ungodliness” – but often failing and then floundering trying to make it up to God and “do better” – or I would run from Him because I knew, or thought I couldn’t do better – and I was tired of trying. The problem was I had been trying in my own strength rather than in the strength of His grace; I didn’t realize that His grace wasn’t just sufficient for salvation but that it was sufficient for life and godliness as well. What an eye-opener and a blessing that forever changed my life and continues to enhance it every day.
Praying for Grace
Are you struggling to say no to ungodliness? Pray for grace to walk in godliness. Do you have a thorn in the flesh as Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10? Pray for God to remove it and for the grace to bear it if He doesn’t. Do you know someone who is unsaved? Pray for them to come to a saving knowledge and know the grace of God through faith. My point is this, while we should not be afraid to ask for God’s grace throughout the course of our lives, we must be careful to remember that the grace of God is never deserved, it is not something we can earn by any means. Loving more, serving more, sinning less … nothing we do or do not do makes us more or less worthy of His grace. I remember the first time I really heard 2 Corinthians 12:9 for what it was – the promised strength of God for the weaknesses of my life. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, … Oh, the freedom I walked in after that day. Not a freedom to do as I pleased but a freedom to live in His strength and not my own.
Grace does not just teach us to renounce ungodliness, it also strengthens us to do so.
In His Image, Jen Wilken – p92
My Prayer Response:
Father, You are full of grace and compassion and You have spilled it out on me. Your gifts of grace are too much for me to truly understand – But I know it is only through Christ that they are mine. I cherish them, cling to them, and seek to use them for Your glory – In the mighty name of Jesus – amen!
Verses for Meditation
Psalm 116:5-9
Questions for Reflection
- Describe a time in your life when you fulfilled the Golden Rule by showing preferential treatment to a difficult person. What was the result? What did you learn about being a follower of Christ?
- How should a desire to grow in grace impact our relationship with God positively? How should it impact our relationships with others positively? Give a specific example of each.
Pray
Write a prayer to God thanking Him for the abundant life of grace is yours in Christ. Ask Him to help you be gracious as He is gracious. Ask Him to help you deal generously with others, as one who has been dealt generously with by him. Thank him for making a way through Christ for you to receive grace upon grace.