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Journey: Grace
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Journey From The Cross:
Be Strong In Grace!
Morning Meditation
Read John 1:14-18
John 1:14-18 NIV
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'" From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The word became flesh and lived among us. Give glory to God.
Jesus came from the Father and was full of grace and truth. Ponder His truth.
In the fullness of grace, we have received one blessing after another. Enjoy your blessings.
The law came through Moses. Grace and truth through Jesus Christ. Experience the joy of grace.
Morning Prayer
Thank God for grace.
Ask God to help you to be “strong in grace.”
Ask God to reveal to you what you need to do to be “full of grace and truth.”
Tell God your joys, fears, and needs. Praise him in everything.
Pray for knowledge of God’s will for you and the power to carry that out.
Ask the Holy Spirit to interpret the scriptures you are about to read.
Morning Bible Study
Grace is my mother’s name. As a youth, she said that when the preacher would use the word grace, all of the youth would look at her and giggle. Grace is a sweet word with many uses. We use it to say, “He will grace us with his presence.” We say “grace” or a blessing before a meal. If someone has “grace,” we are saying she has poise or charm. According to Dictionary.com, God’s grace is a “divine love and protection that is given freely on his people.” The dictionary also says it is the “state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God” and “an excellence or power granted by God.” (www.dictionary.com)
The Hebrew word for grace is “checed.” It means loving-kindness, steadfast love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, and devotion. The Greek word is “charis” and can mean cheerful, acceptable, benefit, favor, gift, joy, or pleasure, among others. It can mean the divine influence upon the heart. The corresponding verb is “charitoo” and it means to endue with divine favor or grace. (from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
God, our creator, is love. (1 John 4:16) Grace is a benefit of God’s love. Certainly, God loves everyone. In fact, the Bible says his love is beyond our ability to understand it. He offers grace to everyone, through his son, Jesus Christ. Not everyone takes this grace. Not everyone chooses to find the “favor” of God. Many that hear about Jesus choose to reject him.
1 John 4:16 NIV
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Let’s talk a minute about the group that does choose to accept God’s grace through Jesus Christ. They have received God’s grace of eternal life. God’s favor is theirs. Acceptance, joy, and pleasure are their birthright. Many are living “in grace.” The joy of Christ is in their eyes. They bask in the knowledge that through Jesus, they are “perfect” in God’s eyes. Poor self-esteem vanishes and confidence replaces it. They grow more like Christ every day. They do not take world or personal events, even tragic ones, too seriously because they have a heavenly perspective. They are “strong in grace.”
Sadly though, there is another group of Christians that, while benefiting from God’s promise of eternal salvation, seem to be suffering terribly. Why is it that they have been unable to fully embrace the gift of God’s grace?
Unworthy
For some the simplicity of grace is beyond comprehension. They seem to need to continually strive to be worthy of God’s love but have no self-confidence. They suffer from poor self-esteem.
Judgmental
Others may be bringing judgment on themselves by judging others. There are plenty of modern “Pharisees” around who seem to want to keep track of how they and others “follow the rules.” Their lists of rules grow longer and longer. Not only are they not “strong in grace,” they drive others away from grace.
Discouragement
Life can be overwhelming. When circumstances repeatedly go contrary to our desires, it is easy to give up and become hopeless. Trying again seems pointless. When depression takes over, we can become paralyzed and unable to see God. Discouragement is a demon sent to steal the joy of grace.
Sin
Some have deliberately chosen to live like the world instead of like Christ. They rationalize that the Bible’s instructions are not relevant to our culture. They do what makes them feel good, regardless of the consequences. When caught, they constantly vacillate between self-justification (I am not as bad as others are around me) and guilt (There is no hope).
Christians may be saved and on their way to heaven but be “weak in grace.” God created us and knew our nature. Knowing our tendency to be “weak in grace,” he encourages us to be “strong in grace.” Read 1 Timothy 2:1.
2 Tim 2:1 NIV
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Our God is a God of grace. He called us to his eternal glory in Christ. People of God and people without God all face difficult life circumstances. The Bible tells story after story of human suffering. If we let him, God promises that he will restore us and make us strong, firm, and steadfast. Read 1 Peter 5:10 and claim this promise.
1 Peter 5:10 NIV
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
“But wait,” you say. “It is not enough to be “strong in grace.” I want God to change my circumstances.” Read your Bible. God may or may not remove the problems. We see examples of both in the Bible. The Biblical figure Paul had some kind of “thorn in the flesh.” We do not know what it was. He wanted God to fix the problem. He asked God three times to remove it. God told him no. We see in 2 Corinthians 2:7-9 that Paul finally submitted himself to God and accepted God’s answer. God granted him understanding as he realized that this “thorn” was to keep him from “becoming conceited.” Note God’s words to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you and my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 NIV
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
Like so many things in our Christian walk, being strong in grace is a choice. In fact, it is dangerous to admit our sins and proceed to be “weak in grace.” Read Matthew 12:43-45. When we go through the process of breaking the stronghold of sin, demons leave us. Our house is now empty but very vulnerable. When a demon leaves, his restless spirit seeks somewhere to rest. Matthew 12:43-45 says the demon will return to where he started. If the house is unoccupied, he will return with seven other spirits, more wicked than before. How many times have we seen a struggling person have spiritual experience, find God, only to fall into a deeper pit then where he or she started? The answer to this lies in filling the empty spaces with the grace of God.
Matt 12:43-45
"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."
So, be “strong in grace.” Jesus was “strong and filled with wisdom.” The “grace” of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40) We are to be like Jesus. Pray to be strong and filled with wisdom. May the “grace” of God to be upon you.
Luke 2:40 NIV
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
NIVApplication
A mother raccoon took up residence in our attic. She chewed her way through a loose area where 2 parts of the roof came together. She found a large, empty, dry and dark place to live. It does not get much better for a raccoon.
My husband, Bob, and I think raccoons are cute. We did not want to harm them. This raccoon was doing damage and had to leave. We used a “bug bomb” to encourage her to go outside. It worked. We watched as she scampered down the side of our house. “That was that,” we thought proudly.
That night, I heard a noise. Bob went in the attic to investigate and discovered this mother raccoon back with two very cute and curious babies. We sought solutions. “They carry rabies. Just kill them,” people encouraged. There are website that suggest how to kill them. How do you kill something that follows you around looking at you with giant eyes? Besides, surely there are more raccoons out there.
Bob decided to nail metal screen around the opening. He went up and searched for our friends. He thought them gone. He put up the screen. At about 8:00 that night, we heard them desperately trying to get out of the screen. Unfortunately, we had locked them inside.
Bob climbed on the roof to take down the screen. I heard him saying, “You have to back up. I want to let you out but I can’t until you move.” They must have understood because they backed up. He took the screen down. I have never seen a man move as quickly as Bob anticipated those raccoon charging the opening to get out. When the raccoons left, Bob nailed the screen back.
The next morning, we found the screen pulled apart and the raccoons happily back in their homes. The next time we went in the attic, we found they had invited friends. We had an attic full of raccoons and nutrias.
In desperation, we called professional roofers. We felt a little better when the raccoons managed to get through 2 of their solutions. So far, their most recent solution has worked. There is ugly brown board nailed to my black roof.
For the last several days, you and I have been working our sins through a process. You got honest and made a list of your sins. You confessed them to God and to another person. You asked God for forgiveness. You made restitution. Now it is time, to nail up the opening so they won’t return with their friends.
Take your list and burn it or tear up. Make a decision to “be strong in grace,” one day at time. Rebuke the demon of guilt. Never allow your past to take over your future. Reject the temptation to return to the sin. In fact, flee from even the hint of any activities that remind you of the sin. Fill your spiritual house with grace by spending time in meditation, prayer, and Bible Study. Go to church and fellowship with other Christians. Be on the alert. Like my raccoons, it you allow it, those sins are just waiting to return. Like my raccoons, they will come with friends. According to Matthew 23:43-35, they will return with 7 friends. Close the opening permanently. Be strong in grace!
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