A Peek At Grace…

Morning!

Raises his cup of coffee

I started out yesterday with a thought.

Ephesians 2:8-10

“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. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Have we considered Grace lately?

Grace (noun):

• Unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a virtue coming from God; a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance.

• Approval, favor; mercy, pardon; privilege; disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency; a temporary exemption: reprieve.

• A charming or attractive trait or characteristic; a pleasing appearance or effect: charm; ease and suppleness of movement or bearing.

• A short prayer at a meal asking a blessing or giving thanks.

The Grace given to us by God is unmerited. What that means is we don’t deserve it. Each and every single one of us is guilty beyond hope and without means to save ourselves from the wrath of God for our sins. That goes for the lowliest of the dirty you happen to come across in a day to the cleanest, most successful person at church. Not a single one can stand before Jesus without condemnation unless, of course, Grace is given.

It makes me think of James.

James 1:9-11

“Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation, but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field, he will pass away. For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.”

I started off today with another thought.

Ephesians 4:1-3

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

One of the goals of a disciple is to become more like one’s teacher. In our case, Jesus is our teacher. What the man or woman of God is attempting to do is to become more like God. God as He really is, as He revealed Himself in His son Jesus, teaching us through the Holy Spirit given to us by promise when we put our faith and trust in Jesus.

This short passage gives us some things to think about.

We are being asked by the Apostle Paul to walk worthy of our calling. He immediately begins to tell us how to do that, but before we get there, I think it’s important to consider that the answer isn’t walking in pride. It isn’t walking with your head held high and puffing out your chest. It isn’t about arrogance or confidence in oneself.

The answer to how we are to walk worthy of the calling we have received—the calling to be an ambassador and servant of the living God, He who touches and turns to gold, He who walks through time, He who holds the universe together with His mere thoughts—is not what you might think at first. We don’t clothe ourselves in pomp and circumstance; instead, we are called to walk with lowliness and gentleness.

Lowliness (adjective):

• Not lofty or grand: commonplace, ordinary.

• Low in order of importance, value, or esteem.

• Having or being a low rank in some hierarchy.

• Low in a scale of evolution or development.

• Humble in manner or spirit: free from self-assertive pride.

Gentle (adjective):

• Free from harshness, sternness, or violence.

• Soft, delicate.

• Moderate.

• Belonging to a family of high social station.

Lowliness and gentleness.

What did Jesus have to say?

Matthew 5:43-48

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Today, why don’t we take a moment to reflect on the Grace of God and the many perfect things that He is?

Our God is good.

Our God is patient.

Our God is long-suffering.

Our God does good to all, the evil and the good.

God asks us to put in the work that is necessary, to be patient like He is in our relationships. God asks us to be quiet, gentle, and peaceful in our dealings with each other. He asks us to be like Him: to be low in demeanor and to not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.

God gives unmerited Grace to us.

Are we giving unmerited Grace to those in our lives?

Have we received unmerited Grace from someone in our lives?

Have we asked Jesus to increase our faith in doing these things?

I think that’s a good place to start today.

Be good.