THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN

 OCTOBER 27, 2022

2 Corinthians 12:9

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Timothy 1:9

9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time …”

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast

Yesterday we said that Faith was one side of a coin, and the other side of that coin was Grace. So lets reflect together on the flipside of that coin, the familiar word GRACE.

Grace is a gift most of us do not know how to receive. We have been so flooded with the societal systems of give-and-get and work-and-earn that grace is a concept that is hard for us to grasp. Yet it is grace alone that has the power to transform lives. Grace alone has the power to bring freedom. By grace alone we are set free.

Many of our most beloved Worship songs involve the word Grace: Amazing Grace, Grace Greater than All My Sin; Your Grace is Enough, This is Amazing Grace, and on and on. WHY? What is so compelling about Grace that we are driven to sing about it? Why do we ask God to tune our hearts to “sing His grace”? I believe it is because Grace meets a need that we cannot meet in any other way.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But [God] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” What great comfort we hear in these words of Paul. And what amazing love our heavenly Father has for us, that he would give his all sufficient grace to us.

We need to always be mindful that we serve a God who turns our greatest weakness into our greatest strength. In his grace, all he asks of us is to have a heart open, willing, and receptive to him. Our God is one who comes to us, who steps toward us, and lays down his life that we might live through him.

Let us remember, that our God’s grace is entirely sufficient for us. In fact, it is only in living by his grace that we are made strong. Your heavenly Father says, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” In Christ we can boast in our need; for our need is our greatest asset. Christ demonstrated through his ministry that he works powerfully when people simply acknowledge their need of him. From the woman desperate to touch his garment, to Zacchaeus the tax collector, to the paralyzed man lowered through the ceiling, God works incredible miracles in the lives of those who come before him with all their brokenness and need. His power is made perfect in those who simply cry out to him in desperation. Grace ALONE. God’s unmerited favor to us through Jesus Christ.

Yes, “… it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”

LET US PRAY

You know, Lord, how much I like to pay my own way. Help me remember and be continually amazed that salvation is a gift from you. I could never earn it. Amen.