The Grace of God

A couple of days ago God put it on my heart that He provides grace to all his children. This is not some new revelation, but it was "fresh" as it regards His ministers. I immediately thought about how God used David even after his sin with Bathesheba. This caused me to realize that God doesn't use men and women because of anything special, but rather in spite of their shortcomings.

The Lord put this on my heart during a time when I was "strong" in faith. It served as a gentle and plesant exhortation to remain humble. Many times we feel like we've earned something from God. We feel like since we have overcome trials or adversity, we have arrived at some new spiritual level. However, the fact still remains that it's only because of God's grace that we are where we are.

This is also something to consider when we don't feel as qualified as we would like. At times we stumble and don't represent Jesus as we ought to. Along this Christian walk, we sometimes fall victim to sin and feel the condemnation and shame associated with missing the mark of God. Yet even in these dark times, the grace of God still exists.

The Apostle Paul wrote that while we were yet sinners, Christ still died for us. The plan of God has always revolved around the grace of God. Even when Abraham travelled to Egypt and lied about Sarah, the grace of God was still evident. When Jacob stole his brother's birthright, the grace of God was still present. When Peter denied Jesus three times, the grace of God was still available. There is NOTHING too severe for the grace of God.

Paul would later write that it's in our weakness that God's stength is manisted. God is a miracle working God. He wants to get the glory out of every situation. The bible says that God chose the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. God has made it clear that no flesh can glory in His presence. We are because He IS. His grace is sufficient for us, nomatter what situation we're in.

Maybe you look at yourself and don't consider yourself worthy of God's goodness. Perhaps you don't feel qualified to do what the Lord has called you to do. If that's the case, remember that God didn't call you because you are this or that. He called you because you're not this or that. He called you so that when He pours out His Spirit upon you, the world will see the treasure you contain is in a tattered, beaten, earthen vessel. He called you because the world thinks that nothing good can come out of Nazareth. He called you because of His grace!

So the next time you fall, consider that it's the grace of God that picks you up and dusts you off. The next time you fail, remember that it's the grace of God that makes successes out of failures. Every time we mess up and make a shamble out of our lives, it's just another opportunity for God to restore us by His grace.

Love Your Body

A couple of weeks ago, I was involved in an online discussion concerning speaking in other tongues. The "debate" inspired me to study 1 Corintians 12-14. When I got to chapter 13, the Lord began dealing with me about the proper motivation behind using spiritual gifts. While the context involves a corporate church setting, it quickly became apparent there were many other applications.

The Holy Spirit emphasized the need to operate in a spirit of love. It listed the different attributes and characteristics of true love. Sadly, many of the characteristics were foreign to me. Although they were near my mind, they were far from my heart. Since I first accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, I've always had a genuine desire to see souls saved and lives changed by the power of God. However, in my spiritual immaturity, I forgot how God has many others who feel the same way.

Oftentimes, we believe that WE are the only individual whom God has spoken to. Like Elijah, we feel as though we're the only prophet in the land. This attitude actually causes division as well as pride as we begin focusing more and more on ourselves and our own ministries. We feel like we're the most important thing in the kingdom of God. We forget that we're only one member of a much greater body.

As the Holy Spirit dealt with me, I saw the selfishness behind many of my actions. I remembered all the times I prayed, asking the Lord to "use me." But why ME? Why not someone else? Jesus commaned His disciples to pray that the Lord of the harvest send forth laborers out into the fields. Why should it matter which laborer gets the call? I was more concerned about myself getting in the game than the rest of the team winning! Lord help us!

I've since come to the realization that it doesn't matter about ME. There's more to the body of Christ than ME. Christ died on the cross for more people than just ME. Therefore, as it concerns minstry, the most important thing is that souls are saved and lives are gloriously changed. It doesn't matter which vessel God chooses to bring that about change. If anything, we should lift up the hands of whomever God has chosen.

We should never have the attitude that if it doesn't include us, it's not our concern. The Apostle Paul taught that we should actually esteem others better than ourselves. Furthermore, as the body of Christ, when one of us rejoices, we should all rejoice. When one member is sad, we should all mourn. True, we each have different functions and responsibilities, but we're all part of the same body.

That means that we should help one another. We should do pray for one another. We should do everything we can to make each other better. Paul taught that we should do good to all men, especially those of the household of faith. Jesus said the whole law can be summed up in one commandment- love your neighbor as yourself. So I have to ask the question, "Have you loved your body today?"

Have you done everything within your power to be a blessing to your body? Have you thanked the Lord for providing other members to help with the work load? Or maybe you've been too busy focusing on your own individual effort? Perhaps, you've gone out of your way to wash your right hand, while leaving the other one dirty?

It's time for the Body of Christ to start acting like a body. The bible says there is one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God. The only thing separating us is us. Why not take a little time out right now and love your body?