THE RADIANCE OF GOD’S GRACE

BIBLE PASSAGE:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith
– and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
(Ephesians 2:8)

MEDITATION:
One of the most difficult things we can do is try to look at things
through the eyes of God with the limited mind and the human
attitudes of man. We can’t fully understand God’s ways with
our limitations. If we could, then we would feel we are equal
to God. Satan considered himself as God’s equal and it didn’t
work out very well for him – he was banished from Heaven.

We may think that God has given us complex minds that are
highly capable of amazing things. But when we compare our
minds to the way God thinks and responds, we know there is
a noticeable difference.

As an example, the human mind thinks there should be an
equal return for anything done for others. That kind of
thinking makes it difficult to understand God’s unmerited
grace, doesn’t it?

When God blesses us with salvation, we have the misguided
idea that we need to be involved and do some kind of works
to ‘earn’ His free gift. It just doesn’t ‘feel right’ for us to
receive something from God without contributing something
in return. It can be a challenge for our newfound faith.

“Grace”, according to the dictionary, is the unmerited favor of God
toward mankind. It is a word that’s used over 170 times in the New
Testament alone. Grace is descriptive of the gift from God to a needy
mankind. Mankind may look at someone and decide that they don’t
deserve this gift from God, but God sees them differently than we do.

We can hardly comprehend the full meaning of the grace of God, but
we can see the splendor of His grace when we visualize Jesus dying on
the cross for our sins. The more we understand the full meaning of God’s
grace, the more we realize how He uses divine and not human reasoning.

Our reasoning is flawed, but God’s isn’t. When we read more of His
‘letters’ to mankind (the bible), we can acquire a better understanding
of how God can give us salvation because we have a believing faith,
and not as a response to anything we do or have done to ‘earn’ it.

We don’t owe God anything after we express our faith in Jesus, His
death on the cross for our sins, and His resurrection three days after
dying. However, when our faith is sincere, we will ‘want’ to do things
to serve Him. We will want to be used by Him as instruments of His
earthly ministry.

Our desire to serve God is not based on an obligation, but it is from
a heart of love and appreciation for the amazing way He has blessed
us through His gift of salvation. His gift ensures we are a part of His
family and we will be with Him eternally after our life on earth is over.

We should never overlook the fact that God’s grace is a reality, and it
is the cure for the problems and sins of humanity. We were born with
a desire to gravitate toward sinful pleasures, but God’s grace rescues
us from the destiny awaiting those who have never sought God and
His gift of salvation.

There will be a final judgment and the decisions we make during our
brief life on earth will determine where we will spend eternity. God
didn’t create us to be robots without the ability to make choices. He
has given us freedom to choose and we need to make wise choices
while we still can….before we face the eternal destiny of our choices.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Have I experienced God’s grace in my own life?
    – Do I have the kind of faith that believes what I read in God’s Word?
    – Do I have a desire to receive His gift of salvation?
    – What am I willing to abandon as a follower of Jesus?
    – Are there some ‘pet’ sins that I want to hold on to?
    – If I have received God’s salvation, has it created a desire
       in me to serve Him as confirmation of my love for Him?
    – God has asked us to return to Him at least one tenth of what
       He has provided – how have I obeyed His ‘command’ to tithe?
    – How much time do I allocate daily to communicate with God
       and learn more about His grace? Jesus spent 6 hours in one
       day suffering in agony and pain for me; how much time do I
       give Him each day?
    – When we receive salvation from God, we are also given a spiritual
        gift designed especially for us and our capabilities – do I know the
        the spiritual gift I have received, and if so, how am I using it?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your unmerited favor
to mankind, including me. Thank You for Your free gift
of salvation. Thank You for Your willingness to use me
in Your ministry. Stimulate me to serve You. If it doesn’t
exist already, create in me a desire to spend more time
with You and other believers. Help me to accept Your
grace by faith, rather than trying to figure it out, or
earn it. Help me to obey all Your commands, including
the ones that are difficult for me due to my selfishness.
Teach me how to use my spiritual gift in serving You.”

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