Grace is a greatly misunderstood word in our culture.
Our culture builds worth on talent, education achievement and wealth.
We teach people to look deep inside and find something of value and then they can be accepted.
We operate on rules, conditional love, beauty, performance, material possessions and we place these things as worth while.
God’s value of us is on the basis of Grace, not any of these other conditions.
Grace Defined: Unmerited favor.
This is a hard concept for us to understand because of our culture when every thing is based on performance, grading, debt etc.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul stated in 1 Cor 15:9-11
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
1. God does what He does by His Grace Vs.9
“A Picture of Grace”
Paul deserved the severest judgement for what he had done! He had persecuted the church. Instead Paul was allowed to live and became a spokesman and leader in the church “by the grace of God.” God exhibited His Grace!
2. I am what I am by the grace of God vs. 10
“Walking in Grace”
“If there is any goodness now found in me, I deserve none of the glory; grace gets the credit.”
In a day of high powered self-achievement and an over emphasis on the importance of personal accomplishments and building ones own ego centered kingdom, this idea of giving grace the credit is a much needed message.
We walk in Grace every day; again it is not based on how great we are or how great we think ourselves to be. It is only His favor on our lives. God bless you, now go and learn to walk in His Grace.
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