Go By Grace
What will your response be to God's grace? Will you give thanks and return to normal routines? Or will God's grace change you? Will His grace firm up your resolve to respond with a life of devotion?
“This is what the Lord commands: When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”
Numbers 30:1-2
When was the last time you made a vow? When was the last time you promised to do something? Did you do it? Can you think of a time you promised to do something, but didn't fulfill your promise? What got in the way? What happens to our relationships when trust is broken?
We live in a world of broken promises. We live in a world where people lie and a person's word does not carry the same weight as it used to carry. How do our experiences shape how we view being true to our word? One of the beautiful aspects of the character of God is that He is faithful and only speaks truth. When He says that His grace is enough and that Jesus is the new covenant, He is making a vow to you. The question you face is if you will fulfill your vow to Him? Will how you live reflect a life of faithfulness to the vow to love God fully?
“Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”
Psalms 147:1, 3-5, 10-11
If you browse the internet, read the news, or turn on the television you will find people who are celebrated. Our world celebrates people for a variety of reasons, most often for some success in a particular field. When you read the Bible, you do not see that God delights in people because of their accomplishments or even their natural abilities. The word says that God delights in those who fear Him. Why? Why not delight in the people who are good looking, successful in business, or powerful?
David had all the things that people normally celebrate, but his celebrations were in the God whose greatness could never be compared to mankind. God names and numbers stars. God's power has no limit. God doesn't celebrate people who do not compare to Him. He celebrates people who are faithful to Him and recognize His generosity, goodness, and grace. It is the faithful person who fears God that keeps a vow. It is the faithful that stand firm and do not go astray when the world around idolizes the things that are popular in culture. How can you grow in dedicated living so that God would delight in your ways?
“Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved...Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love. My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land...My beloved is mine and I am his"
Song of Songs 2:3-4, 10-12, 14, 16
Have you paid attention to the way Jesus spoke to people? Was He judgmental and determined to tell them how bad they were? No. Jesus sounded a lot more like Solomon and his love when in their loving exchanges. Think of how He spoke to the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery in John, Zaccheus, Bartimaeus, or the people who society would least respect. He called them sons and daughters and met them with grace then truth.
Do we have the same heart as Jesus when we approach people who do not think like us, act like us, or do what we do? As part of our vow to follow Jesus, should we not be a reflection of Him through our words and actions? In a divided world, we can bring the healing balm of love by being God's grace in how we treat others.
“Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day...I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity...The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign Lord."
Ezekiel 24:1-2, 13-14, 19-21, 25
Choices have consequences. Good choices have good consequences. In this story, the poor choice to not listen to God had a severe consequence. Part of God's grace is allowing us to experience the pain of our choices so that we might turn back to God with humble hearts. Have you ever gone through a tough time that came from your own decision making and been frustrated that God didn't bail you out?
Thankfully, those who are in Christ are freed from the penalty of sin. Unfortunately, we can still experience the pain of the consequences of our decisions making before we stand before God on judgment day. The lesson is to learn to listen that we might hear God's voice and turn to Him. When we turn to Him we will find grace in place of grace already given. Where do you need God's grace in your life today? Where do you need grace to bring healing or grace to move forward?
“For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me...The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body...And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man...When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:3-6, 9-10, 21-22, 26, 33, 42-46, 49-50, 53-58
Jesus said those who have been forgiven little, love little. He said those who have been forgiven much, love much. How great is your love for God and the world around you? How much do you appreciate the grace of God?
Paul can't thank God enough. The man who had persecuted the church, put followers in prison, and applauded the murder of Stephen knew the debt he owed from the sins he had committed. Grace meant something to Paul. What does it mean to you? Paul says that grace was not without effect. The forgiveness he had received from Jesus became fuel for the fire of his soul. Grace was his gasoline. Grace propelled him to give his best and endure all things that some might be saved. Grace gave Paul the strength to stand firm, share the gospel, and give himself fully to the work God gave him.
What will grace do to you and in you? How will you respond to the amazing, unconditional, unending grace of God? The effect on Paul was to give strength to the vows he made to serve God with all he had been given. Will you it drive you to be more generous, more graceful, and do more good? Will it solidify your vow to live for Jesus? It is by the grace of God that you are who you are and that grace should never be without effect.