The Power of Grace

God knows our struggles and our inability to overcome them on our own. He has extended to us His powerful grace. Yet, we must first stop depending on our own efforts before He will demonstrate His power and might in our lives. Only when we recognize and acknowledge our total weakness can we ask for and receive the power of God’s grace.

If we were totally honest with ourselves, most of us would probably acknowledge that we try to live for God to the best of our abilities, and then when special problems come we ask God for the strength to get through them. However, herein lies the problem! Living for the Lord is not our works plus God’s grace; it is completely a work of God’s grace in our weaknesses. In order to remind us of our inability to do any acceptable work for God apart from His grace, He gives us inborn weaknesses.

God is allowing us to see our total need and dependence on Him and His grace through our weakness and through the incongruencies in us and in those we live and work with. Three times the Apostle Paul appealed to God to remove his particular weakness, which he called a “thorn in the flesh.” However, God explained: “… My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness …” (II Corinthians 12:9). The Greek word translated as strength in this verse is dunamis. It means “force … power.” The phrase is made perfect is a translation of teleioo, which means “to complete … accomplish.” It denotes “to bring to the end (goal) proposed.” When Paul comprehended the great potential of God’s power being perfected in his weakness, he exclaimed: “… Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power [dunamis] of Christ may rest upon me” (II Corinthians 12:9).

The Greek word translated may rest means “to tent upon.” It carries the idea of abiding and dwelling with. As long as we are in the “tent” of God’s grace, we are enabled to accomplish great things for Him. However, if we try to live the Christian life in our own energy, frustration and failure will be the results.

God’s grace is His divine favor toward us, and it gives us the desire and power to do His will. Jesus declared, “I can of mine own self do nothing …” (John 5:30). Yet, He was “full of grace and truth” to carry out His heavenly Father’s will. (See John 1:14.) Paul stated the same thing: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (I Corinthians 15:10).

We must recognize and embrace our total inability to do anything for God apart from His grace, and “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Grace , grace wonderful grace

grace by which I stand

Grace, grace wonderful grace

Keeps me in His plan

Grace and Peace,

Ed

http://www.urcwc.org/

Faith

Heb 11:6
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him". I keep forgetting that it is faith that pleases God. Not belief in one's self or own abilities but faith in God who loved us and gave His Son for us!

Heb 2:17
"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people". Jesus knows our frame and our condition. He knows what it's like to be faced day in and day out with in congruency in the world and people around us!

Heb 6:1

"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God". When we study the first principles of our faith this is the first, the starting point. But, oftentimes as we run our race the starting line becomes a dim vision of the past. We press to achieve and forget HOW we are to achieve.

Heb 4:1-3

"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world". Today I will strive but I will strive to enter into the rest of the finished work of Jesus Christ! Who after accomplishing for me what i could not accomplish for myself said, "It is finished"!

Grace and Peace,

Ed