“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. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in Him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.” (Lamentations 3: 22-26)
God’s grace, His unearned, undeserved, unmerited favor, keeps us in His will and mercy. Where our sins deserve death, His grace covers us from every angle and aspect of our lives. Grace cancels out every sinful act or thought that we could ever have. Without it we could never survive in the presence of a holy God Who forgives sins and will not hold it against us ever, if we repent. “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5: 19-21)
God’s grace that follows us every day is a gift, a divine virtue given to as many as will live a clean, devoted, faithful life in Christ Jesus. It enables us to live the abundant life that is promised us. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:” (2 Corinthians 9: 8)
Grace is free! It’s unconditional! You don’t earn it and you can’t work for it. “For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost…” (Titus 3: 3-5) Grace is an active, powerful resource working in us, on us and through us. This is how we function day-by-day, powered by the dynamic force of Almighty God.
We are called into fellowship with the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit to know them in a deep and more meaningful way. In our season of waiting it is a season of preparation, self-improvement and always sanctification. When the Word is planted within our hearts it is the dominate influence in our thoughts, attitudes and our actions. God is so pleased when His children seek to honor Him in obedience, doing it willingly, joyfully, gladly and enthusiastically. This is when we can clearly see God at work doing what He do.
The Lord is gracious! His grace is He Himself and it comes through His Son Jesus, therefore it is a gift. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of Him, and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for He was before me. And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1: 14-17) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5: 12) God has always worked by grace. It has been around from the very beginning and it will see us on throughout eternity.
The path of holiness not only benefits us but it also glorifies the Father. When we overcome trials, temptations and hardships of life, He uses things to stretch and mold us into the image of Christ and we get to witness the power of His grace. Real transformation occurs when we change how we act and think. We realign our minds with God’s Word. When the mind is renewed, our emotions are transformed resulting in changes in our behavior and ultimately a new lifestyle. Grace allows us to enjoy life as intended in the Garden where life was simple, beautiful, tranquil, holy and free from sin.
With grace being one of God’s many attributes, it is closely related to His love and mercy. His love accepts us as we are even when we continue to forsake Him. His all-encompassing grace reaches down to all who will accept His salvation, to all who despise and reject sin. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6: 12-14) It is through grace that we have continued deliverance and forgiveness of sin by the relentless love of God Who’s promises are built upon His dedication to His people. And although our sins are many, His grace is greater.
God’s spiritual gifts are given by favor and grace. He wants us to function at our best and to excel in His knowledge. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3: 18) Wisdom, knowledge, discretion and understanding are all a part of our service to God. He has an unlimited supply of blessings just waiting on us when we put Him first in every thing. Growing in grace includes giving up our will and our way for His will, His way.
God’s extravagant demonstration of grace and favor works in the lives of His children, especially in our sufferings and brokenness. When we trust in Him, He does the impossible. He can change things in an instant, defend us against the enemy, stop those who slander our character, heal our bodies and broken hearts, add time to our lives and a host of other things. But we must remain humble and let Jesus help when we are tempted to fight back. He teaches us to love the unlovable and to be kind to aggressive behaviors because at one time we were unlovable and aggressive and God forgave us. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” (James 4: 17) “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 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: 14-16)
Integrity is always in the will of God. As children of the Kingdom we seek to reflect ethical standards, doing the right things regardless of the circumstances. Your conduct and integrity reflects your character and builds (or destroys) your reputation. “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22: 1) By the grace of God we follow after righteousness, we live in peace, we practice strong moral principles and values being examples to the flock and for others to follow which is right in line with His Holy Word.
We have an unending range of grace that covers every sin that has ever or will be committed. Sin disqualifies us from blessings until the matter is cleared up properly by sincere repentance. However, the grace of breathing, walking, talking, seeing and everything that pertains to living is still functioning every second of the day. The beauty of God’s grace can be fully understood when we realize how fallen, how broken and undeserving we are. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3: 23-25) God has wrapped us up in endless, boundless grace so let our Christian life be sinless and a visible representation of Christ everywhere we go, always with love, kindness, joy and peace on display.
This concludes Part I of God's Grace. May we all look forward to the amazing conclusion in Jesus' name as the Lord allows the presentation of God's Grace Part II.
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