Christian Writing - God’s Grace – It’s Meaning for us in our life

 

"But, for the grace of God, I don't know what would have happened to me"

 

"I can say for sure that it was only God's grace that saved me"

 

"If not for God's grace, I certainly would have lost my mind, when the tragedy hit the family"

 

These are common comments we hear everyday – and we give it as much thought as we would if someone were to say, "Oh! Today, I got a great bargain at the corner shop sale".

 

It is human to remember God when we are in trouble and acknowledge his intervention in our lives when the outcome is positive. Perhaps, it is also important to reflect upon God's presence in our life, when all is going well. One way to do that is to constantly seek His grace upon our life and the lives of our dear and near ones.

 

Is it as easy as that? Is God's grace available just for the asking? Remember the great floods, when "only Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen 6:8). And, what about those who perished in the flood? Seeing their wickedness, the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth. The Word of God says, "He was grieved in His Heart".

 

Who, then, is God's grace reserved for? We learn in Psalm 84:11

 

               For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

              The Lord will give grace and glory;

               No good thing will he withhold

               From those who walk uprightly.

 

Clearly God's grace is reserved for the upright and the righteous. Jesus Himself exhorted us, "But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added on to you. (Matt 6:33). Is righteousness, then, the only quality sought by God of his people? According to James 4:6, humility is another key attribute, for James says, "God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble".

 

When we speak of God's grace, who is the giver of this grace? Jesus Christ, undoubtedly. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). Paul adds to what John has said by stating in Ephesians 1:7 " In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sin, according to the riches of His grace.".

 

So, what is the means of obtaining this grace? We know that righteousness and humility are a must. However, does that guarantee God's grace in our life? According to St Paul (Rom 11:6), "The choice is based on His grace, not on what we have done. For if God's choice was based on what we do, then his grace would not be real grace. And, again, in Ephesians 2:8 the great evangelist Paul says, " For by grace you have been saved through truth, and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God."

 

Now, for those living in grace, like St Paul, grace can take another dimension altogether, where a negative exists because of God's grace. Paul entreated Jesus three times to take away a physical ailment that was tormenting him, a 'thorn in the flesh'. Our one-sided understanding of grace would lead us to believe that Jesus would have heard Paul's prayer and rid him of this problem. Instead, Jesus tells Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness"(2 Cor 12:9). Strangely, Paul rejoices in this assurance given by Jesus, in much the same way as Peter, when asking Jesus to wash him from head to toe, after initially resisting the idea of Jesus washing his feet. The significance of 'humility' must be seen in this light.

 

A key part of living in grace is to know and unconditionally accept whatever God has in store for us – like Paul did - the good and the seemingly painful (joyful or redemptive suffering to atone and purge the negative qualities in us or in someone else that God has entrusted in our care).

 

As we usher in the New Year, let us seek God's grace that our faith will remain resolute and strong – in good times as well as bad. And, as St Paul is known to do at the end of most of his letters to the new Christian community – may you too be blessed with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Amen.