The God of All Grace

It was during my morning reading that I came across this verse again. I saw something that I had never seen before...at least not this way. For the last few years I have unapologetically preached the grace of God. It has been a source of life and liberty for me personally. One of those truths that you can't unsee or unexperience.

Once again, I need to remind you that grace is more than the unmerited favor definition that most of us have been handed. The grace of God is the divine enablement of God that saves (heals, delivers, and makes us whole), arouses and inspires Christian virtue, and empowers us to live the life of a son of God. A truth that we must embrace fully. To live outside of the grace of God is to live to ourselves, in our own strength, and through our own ability. The grace of God is truly amazing and life changing. Given to us freely through the life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

As I read 1 Peter 5:10, I saw one of the greatest explanations of grace and how the God of all grace affects our lives. Peter was encouraging the church during an incredible time of suffering. He reminded them that they were not alone. The brotherhood was enduring the same difficulties, persecution, and tragedies. His encouragement? Keep the faith. Resist the enemy. Trust in the God of all grace.

THE GOD OF ALL GRACE WILL...

Perfect You - the original language reads so beautifully here. It literally means to complete YOU thoroughly. In case you don't understand the implication of this I will break it down for you - there will be NOTHING lacking.

Confirm You - That is, He will render you constant. God has a way of making you amazingly consistent. Does that sound good? I don't know about you but I always hated the inconsistency I felt within myself trying to live up to religion. There's grace for this.

Strengthen You - He will make you strong.

Establish You - He will make you stable. No more tossed about like a ship in the sea. No more back and forth. No more struggling to have a foundation.

You may read these things and think that is sounds too good to be true. You have tried this yourself and it didn't work. However, I would simply ask you: Did you rest in Him? The truth be told, most of us have tried to live the "Christian life." At least what we believed it to be. We did the things that religion told us to do. We tried to become what we believed a Christian ought to be. But somewhere in the process we missed out on the grace of God. We banked everything on our performance. We trusted in our ability and found ourselves lacking. The grace of God must be trusted in completely. He has to be our source of life and godliness. This life is not about taking standards outside of us and applying them to our lives. We are learning to live from the wellspring of life that dwells within. Learning what it means to be conformed to the image of Christ. Learning to renew our minds so that we may be transformed. Resting in the goodness of God.

It's a major shift in thinking if you have been steeped in religion. BUT that is the whole point! Living by the rule of Law rather than having a change of heart was one of the major issues that Jesus dealt with in His day. He saw a people who honored the Father with their lips but their hearts were far from Him. It's unfortunate that there are so many like this in the church today. I don't believe they do it intentionally. They just haven't learned how to live from the grace of God rather than for it. The difference is astounding.

I don't know what you have had to endure to get where you are right now, just let me reassure you. The God of all grace will complete you. He will confirm you in your identity. He will strengthen you in your relationship with Him. He will establish you in His grace. Completely. Don't lose heart. Don't believe the lies of the enemy. Rest in Him and enjoy the journey. You will be amazed.