By The Grace Of God

By: Erlinda Mejia-Olson

2 CORINTHIANS 9:8 ~ "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."

2 CORINTHIANS 12:9 ~ "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Often times I hear people say they don’t think they can do it—they can’t paddle under the hurdle or under the pain of rejection and hounding. They say how weak they are, and yet I encourage them to rejoice in that weakness.  Because God's strength is made perfect in our weakness according to the Scripture.  When you allow grace to come into your lives then you can really see that it's not you carrying it through—it's the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is nothing difficult in the grace of God.

Grace is sufficient. It is enough. If it were not so, God would have made a better provision—it becomes conditional. It requires perfection from God in all we do, which we could never attain apart from the saving grace of God, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

I remind myself that God’s grace will be constantly abounding when I need it because God is faithful. I cannot store up grace for a rainy day like I can my pennies. It will be sufficient and not lacking anything in that moment. The thing is I never want to be apart from His grace.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4)

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

“Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20).

I am moved by these passages of Scripture. When I reflect on them, the more I see myself as a wart before our Great God and Savior.  I melted in His humility.

Realizing that grace is in my life changes my perspective on things, people and circumstances. When I view all of life through the lens of God’s grace demonstrated toward me, I seek for no other choice than to yield in the grace of God and be changed.

Perhaps, some may disagree with my statement because of the issue of free will. My belief is that a true believer will change. They just will. No will of man can overcome the power of the Almighty God.  Some may change slower than others, but all of us will be changed. When the sinner, through the power of the Holy Spirit, begins to understand the extent of what grace has done for them, their desire becomes one of change to bring Him glory. If the desire to change is not present, then we will question the validity of the salvation testimony.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

The thought that we chose to sin because we like its temporary results, we like the rush, the immediate gratification, and the stealthy feeling that we are getting away with something.  We fool  ourselves by thinking sin brings us pleasure when in reality it does not—not true pleasure, not pleasure without guilty feelings. This is because always after the immediate gratification comes the immediate understanding that we have taken this wonderful grace and abused it and squashed it heartlessly.

When we realize that we are now free from all of the  “I have to’s”  in obeying sin, our perspective on that sin, changes immediately.

The life we have in Christ is wrapped in the grace of God, not of our own good works, or self-effort. Not for our self-gratification—but for the greater glory of God.  The tasks which God has called for us to do is not based on our own knowledge or ability, but by His grace taking what we are and using it for His glory. The psalmist says in Psalm 84:11, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  God gives light, wisdom, discernment, and protection. He grants favor. His presence.

By the grace of God, be all that He has called you to be.  Relying on His grace to be sufficient day by day even if you  don't understand. Having the same attitude of  the apostle Paul who sought for deliverance from this thing he called the thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7-8), asking God three times to take it away from him but he received the same answer: “My grace is sufficient”.

This is the realization of the beauty of God's grace—the discernment that God has given us this wonderful gift that we surely do not deserve and has not given us all the misery we do deserve. God has brought us into His kingdom as His child, lifted us out of slavery and misery and has given us His inheritance through the finished works of the Lord Jesus.

The realization that being saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ alone is true about me and cannot be repealed or snatched away by anyone—causes me to bow down and venerate Him. It causes me to live out this veneration in all journeys of my life and express it to others.

Whatever issues you have in your life today, patiently endure them.  Just remember: God’s grace is sufficient.

Is JESUS sufficient for you today? 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Song:

GRACE GREATER THAN OUR SIN

By: Julia H. Johnston, pub.1911

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Refrain:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide;
What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?