AS JESUS SHOWERS US WITH HIS GRACE, WE EXTEND GRACE TO OTHERS
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Grace is heartfelt, tinged with love, a spillover gift of the God who extended undeserved favor toward us. – Philip Yancey, Christian author –
Jesus is the ideal of grace. Grace is defined as undeserved, unmerited, unearned favor. What a perfect description of our Lord’s benevolent love and sacrifice for us. We were unworthy. He made us worthy. We were lost in our sin. He saved us from our sin. We had no hope. He became our Living Hope.
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. – 2 Peter 3:18
Love is the motivation behind grace. Jesus looks upon us with love. He knows our frailties, our weaknesses, our struggles, our temptations. Yet He pours out His grace upon us, knowing how desperately we need it.
Those who are forgiven much love much. As we come to realize the depth of our sin and the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice for us, we begin to see others with the same compassion as our Savior. We look beyond their imperfections and see their need for the love and grace our Lord so lavishly shares with us.
Four Types of Grace
Saving grace – God bestowed on us His grace to draw us to Himself. Through His grace, our sins are forever forgiven. By faith in Christ, we are reconciled to the Father.
Sustaining grace – By His grace, God strengthens us to endure hardship and trouble. He comforts us in our times of weakness and suffering. His unmerited favor helps us endure.
Sanctifying grace – God’s grace has transformative power, advancing us along our walk of sanctification. We are set apart as His own… daily becoming ever more holy, ever more like Christ.
Serving grace – Through God’s grace, we are blessed with spiritual gifts and talents. These equip us for ministry where we serve our Lord and bear fruit for His kingdom.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. – Ephesians 2:8
Our lives are lived in gratitude to the One who gave His all. His love in us overflows to the people in our lives. Everyone needs grace. Grace is the olive branch extended in love, even on the undeserving. When we meet up against pride, obstinacy, intolerance, selfishness… instead of responding in kind, we model Jesus. We offer grace where it is much needed.
Grace is God’s gift to us. When we abide with Jesus, we bloom and grow in grace. How meaningful is the acronym for grace – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. As we remember His ultimate sacrifice, we are inspired to give His grace to those in our world. Our lives begin to mirror our Savior with greater clarity. This is His utmost desire for us.
† Eternal Takeaway – Love motivates us to offer God’s gift of grace to our world †
