God's Marvelous Grace!

 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9 NIV84).

          “Grace. Grace, marvelous grace!”  You may have heard or sung that song, which serves as a reminder of the grace that God has lavished upon us.  You may have even heard the usual definition of grace—unmerited favor.  The Scripture makes it clear that everyone has sinned.  We have all fallen short of the righteousness that God requires (Romans 3:23).  So, it is only because God loved us so much that He gave His only Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (I John 4:10).  Our sins nailed Jesus to the cross, but it was God’s grace that kept Him there.  Without God’s grace, we would be lost.

          If God’s grace only saved us, that would be more than enough—more than we could ever expect or deserve.  Yet, there is so much more to God’s grace that we often overlook.  His grace was revealed on the cross, but that same grace now lives within us through the power of the Holy Spirit.  God’s grace is active within us!

          “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation…” (I Corinthians 3:10a NIV84).  As Paul speaks of his work as a minister of the Gospel, he makes it clear that it is through the grace of God that he was empowered to build the foundation that others would build on.  Paul could have taken credit for the work that he did, after all, he had numerous reasons to boast (Philippians 3:4–6), but he knew that without God’s grace, he was nothing.

          In his second letter to Timothy, he again reminds us that our strength comes from God’s grace (II Timothy 2:1).  Earlier in the letter, he told Timothy, “For God did not give us spirit of timidity, but a spirt of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord…” (II Timothy 1:7-8a NIV84).  With God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, there was no reason for Timothy to be timid.  Like Timothy, we have a source of strength living in us that can enable us to speak the Truth boldly.

          Finally, Paul made it clear that with God’s grace, we have all that we need.  As he pleaded for God to remove his thorn in the flesh, God replied, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9a NIV84). With or without the “thorn,” God’s grace was all that Paul needed. 

          There have been several times in my life when I knew that I didn’t have the skills, knowledge, or personality to accomplish something that I felt God was calling me to do.  That’s often my thought as I sit down to write this blog.  Yet, as I read the Scripture and pray, God makes the words flow.  The key is to rely on His strength through His grace, and not my own strength.  I am so thankful for God’s unmerited favor, but I am also grateful for His strength that empowers me to live my life for Him, one day at a time.  His grace is truly marvelous!

Ephesians 1:7,8

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