Grace

Grace defined:  “Undeserved acceptance and love received from another. …undeserved favor given by God to man.” 

 

 “Grace as God’s goodness especially shown to those who do not deserve it is seen frequently in Paul’s writings.  He emphasizes that salvation by grace is the opposite of salvation by human effort, for grace is a freely given gift.  ‘Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 3:23-24).” 

Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem

 

“Many years ago I was driven to the conclusion that the two major causes of most emotional problems among evangelical Christians are these: the failure to understand, receive, and live out God’s unconditional grace and forgiveness; and the failure to give out that unconditional love, forgiveness, and grace to other people… We read, we hear, we believe a good theology of grace.  But that’s not the way we live.  The good news of the Gospel of grace has not penetrated the level of our emotions. 

David Seamands, quoted in What’s so Amazing about Grace?  by Philip Yancey. 

 We must first understand and receive God’s grace to help us learn how to demonstrate that grace to others.  May we strive to make grace our natural default response.

 

Your challenge:

-select at least one suggestion in each category to complete this week. 

 

Receive Grace

1. Meditate on scripture.  Sometimes it is helpful to repeat each verse or passage in different ways and emphasizing different words.  Ponder the truth that reveals itself with each reading.

Example:  Ephesians 2:7-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

For by grace you have been saved through faith.

Suggested Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Ephesians 2:7-9, Titus 2:11, Hebrews 2:9-10, Hebrews 4:15-16, 2 Peter 3:18

 

2. Consider how difficult circumstances can be a grace given by God to transform your character and make you more like Him.  Gerald Sittser in A Grace Disguised records his journey after losing his mother, wife and a daughter in a terrible car accident. This is what he has to say about grace:

“This work of grace will not erase the loss or alter its consequences.  Grace cannot change the moral order.  What is bad will always be bad.  But grace will bring good out of a bad situation.  It will take an evil and somehow turn it into something that results in good.  That is what God accomplished through the crucifixion.  He turned the evil of an unjust murder into the good of salvation.  God can do the same for us as well.  We will not be delivered from suffering, but with God’s help we can be transformed by it.”

A Grace Disguised, by Gerald Sittser

3. Read a book about grace, or reread a book you have already read. 

Suggestions:  A Grace Disguised, by Gerald Sittser; What’s so Amazing about Grace, by Philip Yancey; Grace Based Parenting, by Tim Kimmel; Future Grace, by John Piper

 

Demonstrate Grace

1. Would your spouse characterize you as a gracious person?  Think of ways that you can demonstrate grace to your spouse.  Perhaps it is as simple (not easy) as being silent instead of speaking critical words.  Maybe you see an area of weakness.  Instead of letting that frustrate you, allow God to use you as a source of strength in that weakness, just as God is our strength in weakness.
2. Do you show grace to your children?  Are you quick to judge and correct?  Do you parent out of fear and a desire to control, instead of from love and a desire to train?  Spend some time praying about your parenting style and determining any changes that need to be made.  Consider what Tim Kimmel says about grace based parenting.

"Grace provides equilibrium for a family. Where too many parents are concerned with how others view their children, grace-based parents are more excited with how God views their children."
"...they encourage their children to find the unique individual that God designed them to be through an intimate and authentic relationship with Christ."

Grace Based Parenting, by Tim Kimmel

 

3. Show grace toward others… especially those who do not deserve it.   Are you quick to show grace when you see weakness and personal failures, or are you quick to judge?

Philip Yancey tells a story of a prostitute who felt that people at a church “would only make her feel worse”.  He says…  “…women much like this prostitute fled toward Jesus, not away from him.  The worse a person felt about herself, the more likely she saw Jesus as a refuge.  Has the church lost that gift?  Evidently the down-and-out, who flocked to Jesus when he lived on earth, no longer feel welcome among his followers.  What has happened?”

What’s so Amazing about Grace?  by Philip Yancey. 

Spend time today considering your attitude toward others, and how you can intentionally demonstrate grace toward others in your community.  Also, consider how others would view our church and Sunday School class.

We must first understand and receive God’s grace to help us learn how to demonstrate that grace to others.  May we strive to make grace our natural default response. 

Gratitude

1.  At the end of the day, think of five things you are grateful for.  Repeat this every day for a week.  At the beginning, you may find yourself thankful for very general things:  life, health, family.  Every day, try to be more specific about what you are grateful for, including things that have happened that day.

2.  Meditate on God’s lovingkindness.  Throughout the day, try to “spot” his lovingkindness in the events of the day.  Remember that “The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord” (Psalm 33:5).  Psalm 136 may be a good place to start.  It begins and ends with the exhortation, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”  The middle of the Psalm is a list of reminders of ways God has been good, followed by the refrain, “For His lovingkindess is everlasting.”  What events from your past would you add to this Psalm?

3.  Think of a current situation or a troubling memory from your past that you feel is not yet behind you.  Perhaps it’s an emotional memory that you remember at unwelcome times, and you feel you have some “unfinished business” associated with this memory.  For the next few minutes, think about this experience.  At first it may seem that the event you are thinking of might not have had any positive effects upon your life.  However, sometimes even when bad things happen, they ultimately have positive consequences, things we can now be grateful for.  Try to focus on the positive aspects or consequences of this difficult experience.  As the result of this event, what kinds of things do you now feel thankful or grateful for?  How has this event benefited you as a person?  How have you grown?  Were there personal strengths that grew out of your experience?  How has the event made you better able to meet the challenges of the future?  How has the event put your life into perspective?  How has this event helped you appreciate the truly important people and things in your life?  In sum, how can you be thankful for the beneficial consequences that having happened?

Self Control

Identify an area in your life where you lack self-control.  With that area in mind, do the following: 

1.  Read Romans 7:15-20 as a reminder that we will fail if we try to do it alone (self-control is a losing battle to fight without the Holy Spirit).

2.  Post a reminder to pray for strength near a location where you know you might struggle (some of you might still have notes to yourself posted as a reminder that God loves you and wants to have regular conversations with you)

3.  Ask for prayer from another brother or sister in Christ.  Make yourself accountable to someone if you are serious about trying to accomplish something and have struggled in the past.

Humility

Jesus said that the greatest in the Kingdom is the one who exemplifies humility. Paul implies in Philippians chapter 2 that humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less often.

Here is the challenge for this week:

1. Intentionally remind yourself (by placing a note somewhere you will see it) that today you will shift your thinking from satisfying your own needs only to satisfying those around you.

2. Pick one person each day and focus on meeting their needs. Ask what you can do for them and then do it.

3. In our prayer life pray for others needs as much as you pray for your own.

Integrity

1. Pay attention to the actions that you undertake in your daily life – are you walking with integrity or not?
   
2. Pray for God to help you be more integrous.*
   
3. See if there is a change that God is prompting you to make so that you can have more integrity.

* Integrous is not a real word, but is defined by me as "one displaying the characteristic of integrity.

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