Grace That Enables

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness..." 2 Corinthians 12:9

I have had the wonderful task this week of looking into the grace of God. What a wonderful assignment! One of the wonderful aspects of this type of study is being able to see all that grace encompasses. I will be the first to admit that I had almost limited grace due to my own definition. I'm curious who would join me in this discovery.

Grace is almost always defined as God's unmerited favor. In particular, we view grace only from the standpoint of salvation. "If it were not for the grace of God..." is a testimony that you will hear from a lot of believers. And most of the songs we hear about grace come from this same view: "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me..." or "Grace, Grace, God's Grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin" I want you to take a few moments and look at another aspect of grace. I'm not going to go to deep with this since I feel the need to share a series of messages on this "discovery", however, I hope to whet your appetite.

Paul's reference to the conversation he had through prayer is one of the most popular of Bible verses. How many of us have quoted the words of Jesus by saying that "God's grace is sufficient"? But if the only view that I have of grace is in reference to my salvation then I must ask: What is Paul talking about? Well...what Paul is referring to is the ability of grace in his life to endure the "thorn in the flesh" that he has been asking God to remove. And this grace is sufficient enough to endure the "thorn" while at the same time providing Paul the strength he needed in his weakness.

The Greek word for grace is "charis" - does it look familiar? Have you ever used the word "charismatic"? "Charis" is root word used when talking about spiritual gifts. What we see in Scripture is that spiritual gifts are divine in nature. Although "gifts" and "grace" are different they come from the same place! "Charis" basically means an act of grace. When we read about Jesus in John 1 - the Word becoming flesh - we find that John describes Him as full of grace and truth. Colossians 2:6 says, "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." Are you walking full of grace and truth?

Here's what I am coming to understand about grace: It is meant for more than just my forgiveness. God's grace isn't available just so He's not angry with me anymore. God's grace is available so that I may live the life that He says I can live! The challenge is to stop putting grace on the back end of my life (my need for forgiveness when I fail) and start putting grace on the front end (so that I don't fall). Grace doesn't stop at salvation but is actually sufficient in every area of life. Grace is God's ability in my life. It is by the grace of God that I am forgiven and it is by the grace of God that I stand. It is by the grace of God that I must now learn to live.

Allow me to leave you with this question: Is God's grace sufficient enough to change my life? If so...what are we waiting for?