Grace is a topic that I believe many of us have had discussions on, listened to teachings on and possibly have even tried to make sense of on our own. With such topics which I like to consider as being very broad and abstract, it is difficult to grasp all that it entails from just one teaching, and it is easy to get confused by trying to take certain things from one teaching and put it together with that from another. BUT, I have something for you all that I think you will really appreciate. This interpretation of Grace, or GREATER Grace I should say, blew me away completely and it is my hope that you too are completely blown away and permanently blessed.
The month of August, in my place of worship (Union Foursquare Gospel Church, The Tabernacle of His Presence) was themed the month of Grace. Throughout, we dug deep into what Grace is and exactly how we can attain or tap into this Grace. The most familiar definition of grace is ‘God’s unmerited favor’ as the scriptures tell us. What this means in simplest terms is that we are undeserving of this grace, which allows us to then classify grace as a gift from God because that is exactly what it is. Grace speaks of God’s love toward creation, but more specifically mankind which is displayed through Jesus Christ. There is also power in grace; God willingly (out of his love for us) gives us this power to do ALL things because there is nothing we can actually do on our own. Think about that… Everything is only by his grace.
Now, what I’m trying to drive home is this: Grace is much more than what we see it as being and too often we use the term loosely. Maybe it has never occurred to you but get this: even on your VERY BEST day, you are FAR from the perfection of God but here’s the beautiful thing about grace, it makes up for our imperfections. When Christ died on the cross, his blood cleansed us, covered all our sins and bridged the gap between us and God. That’s grace.
There are levels to grace, as our topic confirms. So, after Jesus came and died, grace became available for us all, but there is more grace! GREATER Grace! James 4:6 says “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'” The key to receiving more grace (GREATER grace), is HUMILITY. You have to be humble; that’s all there is too it.
This analogy of Grace and Humility blew me away and really brought it home for me and I pray it does the same for you. Imagine that it is an extremely hot day and there’s a stream nearby. So you figure, I need to cool off, let me go stand in the stream. It feels great standing in the cool water (the water is just about half way up your lower leg) but you want to feel a bit more refreshed so you get down on your knees (the water is just above your chest). That feels even better but, if you really want to cool off, you may just want to lay down and submerge yourself in that water and just let it run over you. This is the relationship between grace and humility. The more humble you are, the more his grace is able to cover you. We need to reach a point where we let go and lower ourselves completely and just let God’s grace cover us and envelope our entire being. His grace is sufficient.
Click the link below to listen to the sermon by Pastor Tim May. I apologize in advance as it does not start from the beginning. Blessings to you all !
Heart Talk 