![]() “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh: By Grace he Overcame his Weakness No, I worked harder than all of them -yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10). But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Grace Set Paul on Fire for God! By God’s Grace he Worked Hard The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:12-14). Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:11-13) The Abundance of God’s Grace Strengthened Paul “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all” (Acts 4:33). “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us” (Romans 12:6). God Graciously Gives us Service Gifts and Graciously Empowers Us to Use Them “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.” (Ephesians 3:7) Grace Empowers Good Works I introduce each Bible verse with a phrase description and within the actual verses I added bold emphasis to highlight the connections between God’s grace and his power at work in our lives.) Grace Empowers us to Serve God and Share the Gospel Here are a few examples of Scriptures that show the connection between grace and power to help us see that grace is not just a credit on our spiritual account, but it’s energy from God that helps us to act in love, wisdom, and power. God gives us the responsibility and choice to take hold of his hand of grace - or not. Grace is opposed to earning, but it is not opposed to effort. ![]() Of course, training and working to make use of God’s grace does not mean that we could earn it! Earning has to do with an attitude of pride and self-sufficiency. ![]() ![]() Grace is ministered to us by the Holy Spirit, but it doesn’t just fall out of the sky upon us! We have to open ourselves to God’s grace we have to interact with it through training our body and soul to receive it, respond to, and work with it. Practically speaking, grace is an energy source that can help us get out of bed in the morning, speak a kind word to a stranger, persevere in a difficult situation, face a fear, or offer compassion to someone who has criticized us. (See his book The Great Omission.) God’s grace to us is his power for living an effective and glorious life today! It is God acting generously and powerfully, to do for us what we cannot do ourselves. “Grace is God acting in our life,” Dallas Willard says. Study grace in the New Testament and you’ll see that it is larger than unmerited favor or forgiveness of sins, though it certainly includes that. We are now “justified” before God and guaranteed entrance into heaven when we die.īut what about for my life today? Am I just to struggle through this painful world and hope for the better world of heaven when I die? Am I to be content with being forgiven of my sins, but never learn how to overcome sin? Ask most Bible students what God’s grace is and they’ll answer, “undeserved favor.” Indeed, the Bible teaches that despite our sinfulness (rejecting God’s love and rule and failing to love people as God loves us), because of Christ’s death we are forgiven and have a credit of righteousness on our account before God.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |