Weekly Grace

Life doesn’t always follow a script. From unexpected challenges to sudden changes, we’re often left wondering what to do next. For some, it’s thrilling; for others, it’s overwhelming. But for every believer, there’s a steady answer: the grace of God.

Grace has made available everything we’ll ever need for a successful life—including wisdom. This spiritual gift tells us what to do when we don’t know what to do. Depending on the Holy Spirit to guide us gives us much better results than if we had relied on our own efforts. Hearkening to counsel from Him is a sign of wisdom.

God, who can view time all at once from beginning to end, has a completely different perspective than we do with our limited point of view. Issues that frazzle our nerves and cause us anxiety are easily handled when we let godly wisdom and discernment guide our hearts. The heart of the prudent gets knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it as well. Leaning on the Holy Ghost in difficult situations allows Him to point out solutions that we would never see by ourselves.

Wisdom from heaven brings us the ability to deal with everyday situations calmly, peacefully, and with consideration for others. Listening for God’s voice enables us to hear counsel and receive instruction from Him so that we can be wise. He gives us what we need to see all sides of an issue impartially, and teaches us why we should seek wise counsel from others. If we lack this wisdom, we need only ask Him; He’ll give it to us liberally without upbraiding or finding fault with us.

Wisdom from heaven is pure, peace-loving, considerate, merciful, and sincere. These are all godly traits, and the by-products of the things of God. Accepting these gifts from Him gives us the ability to make the right decision for everyone involved, even in the midst of confusion. Depending on this grace gift connects us to the mind of God.

Prayer:

Father, You gave us the gift of godly wisdom, which is what we need to help us make sound decisions in life. Thank You for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Proverbs 12:15

Proverbs 18:15

Proverbs 19:20

James 1:5

James 3:17, NIV

1 Corinthians 2:16

If you’ve ever had a disagreement with someone that escalated to the point where you felt like your anger was about to boil over and get out of control, you were most likely in strife. As part of being human, we’ve all felt that way at one time or another. Strife is emotionally painful, and has the potential to destroy us. Learning how to recognize and deal with it keeps us safe.

Strife is a vigorous, bitter conflict, antagonism toward someone else, intense jealousy, or an angry quarrel with another person. It can destroy families, relationships, and even entire churches. It can break up marriages, businesses, and all that God’s grace is trying to do. Wherever envying and strife show up, confusion and every evil work follow.

Diffusing strife allows God’s blessings to operate in our lives. In the Old Testament, Abraham dealt with it wisely when it caused arguments between the herdsman for his cattle and Lot’s cattle. It may initially have appeared that Lot was getting the better land, but God blessed Abraham abundantly because of the integrity he displayed.

Strife prevents us from making progress in life because it blocks God’s intervention. Self-centeredness is one way it originates, but it’s impossible to be in strife when we walk in love. Putting Him in the center of the situation instead of ourselves shields us from this dangerous emotion. God is love; bringing Him into the situation means strife has to go.
Pride, which is a refusal to submit to God’s plans for us, is another source of strife. A proud heart stirs up strife, but the person who trusts in the Lord will prosper. God loves us, and angry striving against each other isn’t His will for us. Hatred stirs up strife, but loves covers all sins.

God wants to deliver us from emotional turmoil. In the same way He delivered David from Saul and from strife with his people, He’ll deliver us from its toxic effects. Trusting Him on this brings us peace.

Prayer:

Lord, Your will is for us to experience peace, not strife, in our lives. Walking in Your Word helps us to do that, and we’re grateful for this. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

James 3:16
Genesis 13:7-17
1 John 4:8, 16
Proverbs 28:25, NKJV
Proverbs 10:12
2 Samuel 22:44, AMPC

We all want good things from God, and as our heavenly Father, He certainly wants to bless us. However, how we receive His blessings has changed over time. Most Christians don’t realize that God deals with people through covenants, and that the covenant of the Law of Moses has been replaced with the covenant of grace. A covenant is an irrevocable promise between two or more parties to carry out the terms agreed upon; to be blessed now requires that we understand and live under this new covenant.

The old agreement was conditional and depended on man fulfilling all the law before he could get blessed; otherwise, he would be cursed. The law was perfect, but too perfect for imperfect man to keep. Breaking even one commandment meant a person was guilty of breaking them all. The law was given to focus on man’s flaws, and actually strengthened sin; that’s why Jesus came to be the mediator of the new covenant.

Being born again puts us under grace; under this agreement, the focus is on what we believe, not what we do. Grace allows us to be one with Christ; we no longer count on our own righteousness through obeying the law, but now are made righteous through faith in Him. Christ is the end of the law for everyone who believes. Therefore, sin no longer has dominion over us, because we’re not under the law but under grace.

Unlike under the Old Testament, New-Testament believers can live under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, who helps us meet God’s moral standards in ways the law never could. Understanding which covenant we should live under takes all pressure off us to rely on our self-efforts. We’re now free to receive all the blessings without any of the curses.

Prayer:

Lord, mankind struggled unsuccessfully to keep the law; You showed mercy by replacing it with grace. Thank You for taking away the endless requirements to perform so that we can focus instead on Your love for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Deuteronomy 28:1-3, 15
James 2:10
1 Corinthians 15:56
Hebrews 8:6, 7
Hebrews 10:9
Philippians 3:9, NLT
Romans 10:4
Romans 6:14

Everyone likes the idea of getting into heaven; however, few people know the details of how to get there. Religion teaches that we must constantly do good deeds and hope for the best. It pushes the idea that if we work hard and do everything right, eventually we’ll be ready for heaven. The truth is that when we get born again, we’re instantly made heaven-ready.

Salvation isn’t a “sweet by-and-by,” a gradual state we attain when we cross heaven’s gate; it’s available to us right now when we accept Jesus. When we hear and believe the Good News that God has saved us, He identifies us as His own by giving us the Holy Spirit to live in us. The Spirit is His guarantee that we’ll receive the promised inheritance, and that He has purchased us to be His people.

We’re spirits possessing souls and living in physical bodies; being born again unites our spirits with the Holy Spirit. When we sin with our bodies or souls and miss the mark, He protects our spirits from participating in sin. Even when we do something foolish, it’s impossible for our spirit beings—our real selves—to sin. Whoever is born of God doesn’t, and can’t, commit sin.

Being in Jesus makes us God’s children. Our names are written in heaven, our spirits are righteous, and we’ve been made perfect. As brothers and sisters of Christ, we sit together in heavenly places in Him. We receive this gift of righteousness and salvation not because we’re perfect through our own efforts, but because every man is presented perfect in Christ Jesus.

We get into heaven not by works, but by faith in what Jesus did for us on the cross. By one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified. This is God’s grace in action on our behalf.

Prayer:

Lord, the sacrifice Your Son made took care of our salvation. Our faith in what He did grafts us into Your family and assures us of our final destination in heaven. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Ephesians 1:13, 14, NLT
1 John 3:9
Hebrews 12:23, NLT
Ephesians 2:6
Colossians 1:28
Hebrews 10:14

As imperfect human beings with our own flaws and shortcomings, we can all remember bad behavior we’ve displayed in the past. The guilt and shame made us wonder if those actions defined us. Getting caught in our mistakes, unable to change from the person we don’t want to be, is discouraging. Thankfully, relying on God to transform us makes it possible to change for the better.

Transformation begins with knowing who we really are in Christ. Unlike what the world tells us, we’re not what we do, but what God says we are. Our past mistakes don’t matter; when we get born again, we receive new identities in Christ. Anyone in Christ is a new creature; old things have passed away and all things are new.

Paul, a former sinner, completely believed in his new identity after his personal encounter with Jesus. Paul’s previous bad behavior was well-known; he had routinely made havoc of the church and put believers in prison. However, as a new creation in Christ, he could truthfully say he had wronged, corrupted, or defrauded no man. His past was gone, and he was therefore able to declare that he was pure from the blood of all men.

Despite what he had done before, Paul received grace. This caused him to change his mind concerning who he was, which in turn led to a change in behavior. For us, this means that no matter what we’ve done, getting born again frees us from having to continue associating with our old selves; that’s just not who we are anymore. We’ve gone from being from sinners to saints.

Being in Christ makes His identity our identity. We’re holy because He’s holy; as He is, so are we in this world. Holiness isn’t a conduct; holiness is a person, and His name is Jesus. Being sure of our identity in Him makes our transformation inevitable.

Prayer:

God, as Your people, we no longer have to work to be holy or righteous in Your eyes; we are righteous because You’ve declared it so. We no longer carry guilt for our past mistakes, and we can now be who You created us to be. Thank You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

2 Corinthians 5:17
Acts 8:3
2 Corinthians 7:2
Acts 20:26
Ephesians 2:19
1 Peter 1:16
1 John 4:17

We’ve all been taught since childhood the importance of obedience, even if it had to be drilled into our heads. We most likely remember the pain of punishment for disobedience, whether it was a spanking or even a time-out in the corner. However, over time, how we obey has changed. This was dramatically demonstrated through the transition from the law to grace.

Under the law if man was willing and obedient, first, only then could he eat the good of the land; if he refused and rebelled, he would be devoured by the sword. He would be blessed only if he strictly followed a long list of rules, but failure to perform perfectly brought curses. By contrast, Jesus has given us a new commandment: that we love one another as He loves us.

The greatest commandment under the law required man to love God with all his heart, soul, and mind. There’s nothing wrong with loving God, but it’s impossible for imperfect man to exhibit perfect love through self-effort. By contrast, we can now love God because He loved us, first. Believing in His love is New-Testament obedience.

Forgiveness is another area impacted. Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, man had to forgive, first, before God could forgive him. Afterward, we can forgive one another as God in Christ has forgiven us. This empowers us to let go of bitterness and forgive from the heart.

The requirements for salvation have also changed. Before the cross, when the rich young ruler asked Jesus what to do to be saved, Jesus’ answer was according to the law. After the cross, when the jailer asked Paul and Silas the same question, the answer was different—believe and be saved. Our salvation is now based on our faith, not on our works.

God is no longer angry. He replaced the Ten Commandments with just one law—Jesus’ law of love—and He wants to be our Father. Faith in His grace makes the impossible possible.

Prayer:

Lord, the finished works of Jesus mean that we no longer have to strive endlessly to follow rules. We can instead simply believe in Your love for us. Thank you for changing everything. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Isaiah 1:19, 20
Deuteronomy 28:1-3, 15
John 13:34
Matthew 22:36-38
1 John 4:19
Matthew 6:14, 15
Mark 11:26
Ephesians 4:32
Colossians 3:13
Matthew 19:16, 17
Acts 16:30, 31