The Grace of God

He leads me …

There is a saying that we do not hear very often these days that goes, ’There but for the grace of God, go I'. It was generally used when a person was seen to be having a hard time in their lives, and another person looking on was thankful that they were not in the same position. It was as if they were saying, ‘If God was not looking after me I could be suffering the same way they are.’

  Maybe the reason that we do not hear the expression so much now is because it can be interpreted in various ways that are not good. It is not intentional. What we are really trying to do is show some humility and gratitude: We show humility in that we see that we are only better off because of something God chose to do (or not do). We show gratitude because we should be thankful for what we have in our lives, and just how good we have it.

  While this may be our intention, really all we are saying is, ‘Thank God that is not me.’

  If we ever use the expression, ‘There but for the grace of God go I’, do we ever think about where God and God’s grace are in the other person’s situation? Perhaps we should look around us and consider where God and His grace are for the boy with leukaemia? Or, where God’s mercy and loving kindness are for the mother who miscarried her child? If we can only see God’s grace in people’s lives when all is working well, we need to expand our vision of who God is in the world.

  Jesus did not say how thankful He was not to be a leper, or not be missing a part of His body. No, instead He gets involved with those who suffer for any reason. This is because He knows what it is to suffer. He was born among the working poor. He ate with thieves and prostitutes. And He died on a cross sharing an amazing blessing with a criminal who died next to Him.

  We should realise that grace is not what saves us from a tragedy. Grace is in the tragedy where Jesus is found, and we see it as love and mercy. Grace is the powerful love that opens our eyes and heart to the suffering of others, to feel their pain as if it were ours. Grace is the mercy that fills our heart when we move towards the other person, to lend a hand, an ear, a dollar, an hour, a piece of ourselves. We do this because we are called to show the grace of God in loving our neighbour.[1]

  But what is the grace of God? Let us look at some ways to understand the true meaning of the word grace.

  Put simply, grace is God's favour and kindness toward all mankind. When we have a near misses instead of actual accidents, do we thank God that it was not worse, or do we put it down to good luck? When the right thing comes along at just the right time, do we thank God, or just say that it was an amazing coincidence? There are many ways that the Lord extends His grace into our lives, but unless we are looking for them, we often miss seeing them for what they are.

  Here are six ways that will help us to see what grace actually is.

 God's Salvation Grace

The most important grace that God provides is Salvation Grace which came when God purchased our freedom from sin with the blood of His Son and forgave all our sins. This immeasurable gift was ours when we believed. We did not work for it, and we certainly did not deserve it.. What an awesome God! For He so loved the world that He gave His only Son.

 God's Continuous Grace

We always seem to do what we do not want to do, and do what we should not do, even when we try to do what is right all the time. Despite this, God will forgive us each time if we genuinely seek forgiveness. That is right, all sins — past, present, and future — are forgiven after you believe in Christ.

 God's Forgiving Grace

As believers we develop a supernatural ability to forgive others of offenses they commit that have affected us. It does not matter whether they are little offenses, big offenses, and even previously unforgivable offences. The great thing is that when this happens, it is like a great weight has been lifted off our shoulders.

 God's New Grace

Because of His Spirit’s presence within us, we always have new opportunities to think and do better. Each day brings a new beginning – a chance to make a fresh start with a clean slate, and an opportunity to be better and to display more of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). God’s grace gives us the self-control to act with kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.

 God's Freedom Grace

Grace gives us the freedom not to worry about other people’s opinions of us. Instead we can focus on what the Word of God says about us. We are free to be ourselves. We are fearfully and wonderfully made with a purposeful design. When we know God’s purpose for our lives, we can go ahead and live it, knowing that if the Son sets us free, we are really free (John 8:36).

 God's Future Grace

God promised to be with us at all times. His Holy Spirit will counsel and prompt us about the things we should be doing as we go through life. Even when we go through trials, He is there to help us get through them and make the situation around us better than it was before. This means that the unknown is easier to go through when we have His presence with us. That is grace—the feeling that we are never alone.

  Always remember that grace is a gift. We cannot earn it, but it is free and abundant. As believers, God will always give us as much as we need.[2]

[1] Stop saying, ‘There but for the grace of God’, by Rev. Philip Devaul, Orange County Register   https://www.ocregister.com/2015/10/09/stop-saying-there-but-for-the-grace-of-god/

[2] God’s Grace - 6 Ways to Understand Its True Meaning, Jennifer Heeren, Crosswalk.com Contributing Writer,  Bible Study Tools; https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/six-beautiful-ways-to-understand-gods-grace.html