Good day
In Part 5 (Be honest with God), I mentioned that as we embark on the journey of shining our light, let us always remember and acknowledge the fact that we need God, and because we need Him, let us come before Him openly and just be transparent and honest in our engagement with Him - in our prayers, in our times of praise and worship, with how we see ourselves, with where we're at spiritually in our relationship with Him, in our approach and attitude towards church, about people we may be struggling to forgive, about where we're at towards our bible reading, with being a spouse and parent, etc. Whatever it may be ... let's be honest with Him ... for He IS OUR HELPER!
Knowing that we need God's help and cannot do this without Him (John 15:14-15) should motivate us to draw near to Him. It starts with being humble enough to admit it and ask for it ... and there's nothing wrong with asking God for help - in fact, the Bible indicates to us that God's help is available and freely accessible! Asking for help is therefore not a sign of weakness but a sign of obedience. Asking for help is an act of faith. It's an acknowledgment of the fact that we have a covenant with a living and loving God who is there for us!
Today I'd like to build on this message by briefly taking a look at the grace of God:
Grace can be defined as the unmerited favor, mercy, compassion, kindness, goodwill and divine assistance of God. It is because of God's grace that we get to experience His divine life, power and ability operating through us. It is because of God's grace that we obtain His supernatural power and ability for ministry and sanctification ... and this grace is made available to us in the form of Jesus Christ and what He did for us, not because of anything we have done to earn or deserve it:
Galatians 2:20-21
I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. [Therefore, I do not treat God’s gracious gift as something of minor importance and defeat its very purpose]; I do not set aside and invalidate and frustrate and nullify the grace (unmerited favor) of God. For if justification (righteousness, acquittal from guilt) comes through [observing the ritual of] the Law, then Christ (the Messiah) died groundlessly and to no purpose and in vain. [His death was then wholly superfluous.]
Ephesians 2:4-10
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
2 Timothy 1:8-10
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast (rejoice) in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 3:21-24
But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Titus 2:11
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.
From the above passages we can see that our eternal salvation is not earned by our good works, meaning neither the quality or quantity of our good works means anything when it comes to us receiving God's free gift of eternal life. It says if we are saved by grace, which we are, then "works" has no part in our personal salvation. It’s all Him and none of us. The above passages tell us that eternal salvation is received directly from the Lord as a free gift and it can only be received by grace through our personal faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death on the cross. With the basic definition of the word “grace” being “unmerited favor,” we can see why our salvation can only be received as a result by God’s grace (through our faith in His Son Jesus Christ)
Not only does God's grace offer us salvation from our sins but also as a result of His grace, He provides us with His power and ability to operate through us so that we can effectively work in whatever He calls us to do for Him in this life. (Acts 4:33, 2 Timothy 2:1, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Ephesians 4:7, Romans 12:6, 1 Peter 4:10, Romans 15:15-16, Ephesians 3:7-8) ... the Apostle Paul speaking in the below verse, states it so clearly:
1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not [found to be] for nothing (fruitless and without effect). In fact, I worked harder than all of them [the apostles], though it was not really I, but the grace (the unmerited favor and blessing) of God which was with me.
From this we can see that it's only because of the grace of God. In other words, we need the power of God flowing and operating through us if we are going to achieve any real success in the Lord. Without God’s divine power and ability operating through us, we will never be able to reach the goals, the aspirations, and the finish lines that God has in store for us unless we have the power of His Holy Spirit working in us and through us ... and all of this He makes available because He has chosen to be gracious towards us.
Now to come back to the question in the subject line of this email - When is Grace sufficient?
This statement was taken from the below passage:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 AMP
but He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My loving kindness and My mercy are more than enough--always available--regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness." Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me. So I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].
Here God is saying to Paul that His grace is sufficient and that His power is made perfect in our weakness. What I want to point out from this is that there's a requirement to seeing the power of Christ rest upon us and that's an acknowledgement on our part of our weaknesses (Paul even says to "gladly boast" in our weaknesses). When we do so, that's when we see the power of Christ rest upon us - that's when Grace becomes sufficient. There's nothing wrong with declaring our weaknesses or challenges before God and admitting that we need His help. We can admit that we're not the "sharpest tool in the shed", that there are things we can't do in our own strength or ability, that we struggle with certain bad traits or temptations, that we struggle with our thoughts (anxiety, worry, etc.), struggle on the job, find it difficult to be parents, need help in our marriage ... The list can go on and on.
But Grace is available:
Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
And is it given to those who are humble enough to admit they need it:
James 4:6
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
The encouragement from this passage, and the overall message, is our reaction when we consider our weaknesses/challenges - because the right response is that we all the more gladly boast (not hide, not cover up, not deceive ourselves, not be proud - but be humble and open before God) about our weaknesses - for when we do, that's when God shows grace - that's when the power of Christ may rest upon us!
For when we are weak [in human strength], then we are strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength]. This is when God's Grace is Sufficient and His Power is made perfect in our weaknesses!
Therefore let us never cast aside the grace and mercy of God and always remember that everything we have comes from Him; this realisation should humble us and make us see how much we need Him, causing us to be thankful for the choices God has made concerning us, by showing us mercy and compassion (love), knowing that He is always there for us and that His grace is always sufficient!
1 Corinthians 1:30-31
But it is from Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God [revealing His plan of salvation], and righteousness [making us acceptable to God], and sanctification [making us holy and setting us apart for God], and redemption [providing our ransom from the penalty for sin], so then, as it is written [in Scripture], “He who boasts and glories, let him boast and glory in the Lord.”
Amen