From Milk to Meat (eBook)

Grace

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus . . . . ”

Romans 3:20-24 ESV

According to the Word of God, grace is the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in our lives. The Old Testament word for grace is Khane (Strong’s 2580) meaning graciousness (kindness, favor), pleasant, precious. In the New Testament the word used is Kharece (khar’-ece/Strong’s 5485) meaning benefit, favor, gift, gracious, joy or pleasure.

Grace is commonly defined as unmerited favor or a free unconditional granting of God’s blessings. God gives us grace to save us, set us free from the bondage of sin, and make us whole. Grace gives us provision, protection, peace, joy, health, and wealth. God gives us the best definition of grace in John 3:16 KJV “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Grace loves…. freely gives….and is unselfish. I’m reminded of a mnemonic used to explain grace as Gods Riches At Christ Expense! This is very fitting to describe how Jesus gave Himself so that we can be called the children of God. Under the old covenant, we were governed by the “law” but now we are “under” the law of grace. Gods’ grace not only has the power to save us but is also the same power that keeps us in His will and supplies us with the strength to do the work of God (I Corinthians 15:10).

Understanding the gift of grace that God has given us changes our perspective on life itself. God, we pray that you will show us how your grace has changed us and we pray that you will empower us to do the things you have purposed us to do. Let’s look at some biblical examples of grace in action:

This first example of grace is found in the story of Jonah. Jonah is identified as the son of the prophet Amittai (2Kings 14:25/Jonah 1:1). Jonah is best known for the book bearing his name. We read in this book how Jonah attempted to run away from Gods call that instructed him to announce Gods judgment against the people of Nineveh. Jonah made a conscious decision to go in the opposite direction because he was not fond of the people of Nineveh. He knew that God would be gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness (Jonah 4:2). Jonah deemed the Ninevites unworthy of God’s grace or mercy. In Chapter 2 it tells us how Jonah “cried out” in prayer to God after being swallowed by a great fish. Jonah himself prayed for Gods mercy and experienced His grace. Though Jonah was obedient in delivering the Word of God to the people of Nineveh, he did so not wanting God to show them the same mercy and grace he recently received. There are times when it will seem easier to love and have faith in a God whom we’ve never seen face to face then it is to love those created in His image. Some of us display His beauty different from others. Sometimes it takes a little effort to see God’s beauty in people and other times it seems almost impossible. We must remain consistent in obeying one of the greatest commandments Jesus gave us and that is to love. Jonah did not exhibit the fruit of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23. Instead, he showed the fruit of his sinful nature, the fruit of his flesh. Because of his anger and hatred towards the people of Nineveh he missed out on one of the most extraordinary revivals ever seen. When we grudgingly give or refuse to extend God’s grace to others, it sets up in us a root of bitterness and anger in us. We are then not able to fully experience the peace that God wants us to have. The peace Jesus came here to give us (John 14:27). It may be easy for us to point a harsh finger at others when they fall short, but we must be careful not to fall into the same temptation ourselves (Galatians 6:1). Paul in Galatians 6:1 lets us know that when our brother or sister stray off of the right path we must restore them back gently and humbly. We should love our neighbors as ourselves (Gal. 5:14).

(Prayerfully ask God to show you areas in your life where you have failed to show grace to others) Father, I pray that you teach me how to love others like you love me at all times. Let me be quick to listen and slow to speak. God, I ask you to give me the strength to forgive others that may not act according to Your way. I know that You have forgiven me, and I pray that I will be quick to forgive others.

Another example of grace is King David, who spent many years of his life running from King Saul. After the death of King Saul and his son Jonathan (David’s very best friend) at the hands of the Philistines, David sought out for someone in Saul’s family he could bless. David says in 2 Samuel 9:1 “Is there yet any who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness [Kheh’-sed-favour, goodness, kindness, merciful](Strong’s 2617) for Jonathan’s sake?” Johnathan’s son, Mephibosheth (2 Samuel 4:4), who was crippled after the nurse caring for him dropped him when she heard the news of his father’s and grandfather’s death, was still alive and lived in Lo Debar. Thus, Mephibosheth the lame son of Jonathan was brought to David from Lo Debar. Lo-Debar meaning pasture-less and considered a very low place-a “nothing town”. David invited Mephibosheth to sit at his table to eat and to wear the finest clothing. Maybe you can identify with what Mephibosheth is feeling here. You may not have been crippled physically but maybe someone has hurt you mentally or even spiritually. Can you imagine coming from such a low place in your life? A place of little or no hope for better days? But now you are invited to the Kings table. Psalms 23 says that God has prepared a table for us. He is ready to fill our cups, all of the empty spaces in which life has depleted us. You may not feel as though you are worthy to come to the table. Even Mephibosheth didn’t count himself as worthy. When he came to David he fell on his face and laid himself down in deep respect referring to himself as David’s servant. (See 2 Samuel 9:5-7) It is God’s grace that invites us to the table not because we hold a title or position. It is not because we are so good or have accomplished great things. It is not by our works but it is by the finished work of Jesus. Jesus is our righteousness and He has made us worthy. 2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT says that God will generously provide all we need. Then you will always have everything you need, and plenty left over to share with others. Grace is like an elixir of life. When we pour out our grace on others it in turn gives us an abundant life full of peace, joy, love and happiness. Grace then is not only the blessed gift of eternal life but it is a gift from God that contains everything we need that pertains to life. There are so many times I’ve said, “I may not have everything I want but God gives me everything I need”. . God had to elevate my thoughts and my speech. He let me know that the things I want pale in comparison to the blessings He wants to give me. In essence, the needs that God supplies for me are far greater in value when compared to the small minded things I want. Just like David snatched Mephibosheth out of Lo Debar to sit in high places, God seeks to do the same for us. I’m sure David did not take the time to ask if this was what he wanted. He recognized what he needed. David poured out Kheh’-sed without measure. He gave Mephibosheth his very best. We receive the grace of God without measure and we should be eager to share this gift freely with others. Is the grace that God wonderfully extends to us the same grace that we extend to others? In the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) Jesus gives us an example of the good Father so full of grace who freely extends it to his son while the older brother refuses to extend any grace towards his brother. Galatians 6:4 NLT says that we should “pay careful attention to [our] own work, for then [we] will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and [we] won’t need to compare [ourselves] to anyone else.”

Again, prayerfully ask God how you can show grace to others you encounter everyday: God I ask that you show me opportunities to display Your kindness to others. Thank you for lifting me from a low place. I need Your help Father to encourage my brothers and sisters that they also may be lifted by Your Love.

A third example of grace is Paul (Saul), a Pharisee who studied under Gamaliel (Acts 22:3-13) and knew and observed the law like no other. He was very zealous to honor God in everything even to the point of persecuting those who followed after Jesus’ teachings. God interrupted Paul on the Damascus Road to shower him with His grace. After Pauls’ eyes were opened God commanded Paul to get up, go be baptized and have his sins washed away by calling on the name of the Lord! There are many times we may feel we are on a good path yet we are blindly walking through life. It is the grace of God that opens up our blinded eyes, stops us from going on this path of destruction and places us on the right path. Paul experienced God’s grace like no other on the road to Damascus. We can have the same life changing experience when we acknowledge Jesus as our Savior. In 1 Timothy 1:12-14 Paul confessed that a lot of the things he was doing against...