The Grace of God
Someone once said, “If you have to work so hard for something and invest extra effort compared to others to get the same exact thing, just know the Grace of God was not present in that situation”. Sooooooooo, what is the Grace of God?
Grace gives us things we don’t quite deserve (compared to our fault). It’s undeserved favor. Think of Grace as when you get caught for over speeding, but instead of a penalty, the traffic officer greets you nicely with a smile, gets your car washed, tops your fuel tank, changes your car tires, gives you some muchomo to eat as you continue for the rest of the journey, and waves you off goodbye…with a smile. It sounds unbelievable and quite exaggerated, but that is Grace. In heaven’s currency, that’s the Grace of God.
1 Corinthians 15:10
By the grace of God I am what I am.. I labored more abundantly. (NIV says …..and his grace to me was not without effect)
Quite literally, the Grace of God makes us, Grace leads us, and grace makes us who we are. And those who labor in Grace have the assurance of fruitfulness. They make an impact, they cause an effect, and their doings make them great wonders of their generation. The words are clear. It may take sleepless nights and disappointments here and there, but we will always be assured of a great victory. Grace shields us, and grace causes us to do things.
How do we activate the Grace of God?
John 1:16-17
Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
During the times of Moses, you kind of gained your way through life by following the law. You had to follow the rules to the dot to achieve the level of righteousness that was at the time. You had to work for it. But grace is free, it’s undeserved, it’s a gift. Grace comes through Jesus Christ. But to get to Jesus Christ and to tap into the things he has promised us, you need to first accept him as your Lord and savior. Therefore, salvation is the beginning of grace. And through his completeness, we receive even more grace.
James 4:6
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.
The verses before this clearly state how God longs to have his spirit dwell in us and how we rather have chosen to be “people of the world.” But despite all this, he still gives us grace, and more grace. We should remember that the grace of God follows the positioning of our hearts. Pride and self-exaltation repel the grace of God. Humility makes us teachable and obedient and calls us to repent with sincerity despite our sin. Then we will see and experience the grace of God.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
This grace of God deals with our present and further makes an impact into the future. You know how you apply for a job you are not qualified for, but somehow you get the job? The grace of God that helps you get there then goes ahead of you to prepare that ground and systems for you. Grace makes you efficient at this job, and you get to know and do things you didn’t know before and didn’t think you could do. A promotion, salary raise, or sponsored further study opportunities might arise. This Grace is boundless. This job could bring you to meet influential people, and somehow, you get on to your next big job. What takes others 10 years takes you months. Grace activates divine speed. It’s such a cascade. From Grace to even more Grace.
2 Corinthians 12:9
My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.
When God sends you out to accomplish a certain task, any task. He gives you the right grace for it. Provided it was truly his voice that gave you the instruction. Inflation may come, the company may go bankrupt, you may get a terminal cancer diagnosis, lose family and friends, etc. In our greatest need, his power (his grace) is displayed according to our need. If he sent you, he will move the world to make all means (all grace) see to the accomplishment of what he intended for/with you. With God’s grace, results are obvious. With His Grace, we don’t labor in vain. When the Grace of God is upon you, everything will move in your favor. I’m talking systems, people, the weather, policies, etc. You won’t have to bend anyone towards you; it will all obey and merge into something unusual, something unexpected, something beautiful. I have witnessed it.
2 Corinthians 8:7
But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you to see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
For the longest time I wondered how people prayed for hours and fasted for days, showing love to and praying for people who did them wrong. Then I learnt that by ourselves, such is not possible. But when the grace of God comes upon us, by the power of the Holyspirit, we are capable of doing so much more, even spiritually, than we can imagine. The Grace of God is not limited in amount, in extent and diversity. His Grace causes us to pray, to fast, to read the Bible, to lead nations, to proclaim his name, to shine at our jobs, schools, communities, etc. It’s by his grace that we are creative, and it’s through his grace that I’m seated on my couch typing this out. His grace helps us to forgive and to love those who have hurt us in the most impossible ways. Grace does not just apply to the things we want God to do for us. As Christians, we have to ask God to give us the grace to serve him better and the grace to partner with his agenda for humanity in order to fulfill the things that glorify him, and not just the things that glorify us.
What Grace isn’t
The grace of God does not give us the right to go out and sin intentionally, just because the grace is sufficient. Rather, grace tells us to go out and challenge ourselves to be better. To grow spiritually, to set big goals for every aspect of our lives, and to aim for the sky, because we have been given the grace to excel at whatever we do. Grace tells us we can do anything through Christ, who strengthens us. And just as we receive it, we too should extend grace to other people.
Let’s tap into his grace. It’s sufficient for all of us.
