A Word to Live Into
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Certain words are both so common and at the same time so profound that they seem almost indescribable. These are words you know best through experience. Grace is one of those words.
Our goal here is to consider how living into the word grace could help us grow in faith. Here are at least four ways we can experience grace:
Grace is love.
“The Lord longs to be gracious to you.” (Isa 30:18)
God’s gracious longing to love us runs throughout the Bible. In the beginning, God was everything and had everything. God lives in love and joy as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It was God’s gracious love that overflowed in the creation of all that is - even the thought of you that came to be through God’s love. It was gracious love that has made each thing in creation “good”. The unwavering, unfailing love of God is present with us even now. The Bible ends with the blessing: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.” (Rev 22:21)
We also learn “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” (Ps 103:8, Ex 34:6-7, Ps 145:8) God loves with a committed love (Psalm 103:11). God’s love is gracious and forgiving. (Psalm 103:12). God’s love is gracious and compassionate and good to all. (Psalm 103:13; Psalm 145:9) God loves us and understands us. What a grace!
2. Grace is a gift.
“We have received grace upon grace.” (Jn 1:16). Grace comes to us as an abundant, inexhaustible flow - grace upon grace. Grace is a lavish gift.
In the Bible, grace is understood as God’s favor or blessing rooted in delight. It’s a gift. One common understanding of grace is “unmerited favor”. It is often used in references to God’s saving grace and forgiveness. (Eph 2:8, Titus 2:11)
Beauty is a sign of God’s grace. You wake up to it each morning, and it is a gift that remains with you throughout the day.
In fact, the gift of God’s grace is a wonder. You can catch a glimpse of it in the opening of a flower, the smell of rain, a hand to hold when you are unsteady, the sunshine after a string of cloudy days, or the wonder of having someone loving you. You don’t deserve. You didn’t do anything to earn it or bring it about, yet there it is.
3. Grace is a power.
On our own, we don’t have all that we need. We are human. We have limitations, blind spots, pain, and obstacles. Our capacity is limited.
Paul prayed for his obstacle to be removed. (2Cor 12:8) He called it a thorn. His prayer was answered with the provision of power. God said, “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2Cor 12:9) You can be strong in the grace of Christ Jesus (2Tim 2:1). Paul said, “ By the grace of God I am what I am.” (1Cor 15:10)
We learn that God’s grace was so powerfully at work in the early church that there were no needy persons among them. (Act 4:33b)
The other amazing thing about grace is that it tells us we are not bound to what happened yesterday. Grace means “now is the time to go on”. (1) You can go on with the power of the grace of God. It comes new to you every morning. It will carry you through. It will uphold you. It will enable you to do what you cannot do on your own. Grace is a power you can trust - you can rest in it and know that it will help you go on.
4. Grace is a person.
Jesus is grace. He is full of grace and truth, and grace came among us through him. (Jn 1:14, 16-18) Jesus shows us who God is - gracious.
There is an image I sometimes remember of my own experience of grace. It came the summer after my first year of high school. I went on a mission trip with our church youth group. We ended our trip at Six Flags Amusement Park.
I had been to our local county fair. Six Flags was next level. Everyone in my group wanted to go on the roller coaster. I was in high school and felt the pressure to go along. I was nervous. I was not sure I could do it. By grace, I ended up in line next to my pastor. He seemed to understand what was going on with me. As we got closer to the front of the line, he asked, “Should we go together?” “Yes!” It felt like he was there on behalf of Jesus. With him sitting next to me, I could do it. I could even enjoy it. His gracious presence not only gave me the power to do it but also gave me peace.
Grace and peace go together. (2) Jesus, our Prince of Peace, is grace. He is love. He is a gift. He is power. He is the way we can move with ease and have the power we need to go on. When we stay close to him, we can go through the ups and downs of this roller coaster of life. His grace is sufficient, and as we look back, we will see the wonder of his grace. (Psalm 111:4 NKJV)
“The Lord longs to be gracious to you.”
Isa 30:18
How to live into the word grace…
How or what is making you feel weak or like you don’t have what you need?
Write down "The Lord longs to be gracious to you." Place it somewhere as a reminder.
Ps 111:4 encourages us to remember how God has worked in our lives. How have you experienced God’s grace?
Think about grace as “now is the time to go on”. How can grace help you move forward today?
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Dallas Willard, YouTube: Dallas Willard Ministries, “Grace for Discipleship”; Feb. 8. 2022.
Paul begins his letters with “grace and peace to you” (Rom 1:7; 1Cor1:3; 2Cor1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Phil 1:2; Col 1:2; 1Thes 1:1; 2Thes 1:2; ITim 1:2; 2Tim 1:2; Titus 1:4; Phil 1:3)
