We have just finished up a midweek Bible study series on "Grace" in the Southeast Region. It has been enriching and faith-building to hear how many Christians' lives and thoughts have been changed by a deeper understanding of the grace we all share in Christ. One of the greatest ways we show our gratitude towards God for the grace He has shown us in Jesus, is to determine to live gracious lives in this ungracious world. Three decisions/convictions, if allowed to truly guide our lives, can empower us towards gracious living: Accept God's view of you; Allow God's view of you to give you peace in your inner being; Reflect the grace you have been shown towards all others around you, regardless of their standing with you.

1. Accept God's view of you
Remember that our adversary, Satan, is also called "The Accuser" - Rev. 12:10 "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night." Satan wants us to feel dirty, guilty, worthless, failed and inadequate. BUT HE HAS BEEN THROWN DOWN!! How much did Jesus accuse the 11 Apostles when He walked through the locked door of the upper room, three days after His execution? Did Jesus try to make them feel guilty? Did He remind them of how much they had let Him down and really blown it spiritually? No - although He did rebuke them for not believing the report of the others who had seen Him in His resurrected state (Mk 16:14), His main message was "peace be with you" and "let's have fellowship together, then let's spread the great news to everyone!" For one of my favorite descriptions of the heart of God towards His children, read Isaiah 43:1-7. Read it and believe it about yourself!

 

2. Allow God's view of you to give you peace in your inner being
I remember well the day I discovered that my girlfriend, Kim, was in love with me - ME, of all people!! How could this marvelous, amazing, spiritual and beautiful woman of God love a mess like me! That day, I told complete strangers that I had found the woman I was going to marry. I had a few non-Christians ridicule me that day for trying to share my faith with them. It didn't bother me a bit - I knew that KIM LOVED ME. I had several challenging things academically going on (I was an engineering student at the time), but it didn't sap my joy at all - KIM LOVED ME!!! When you realize and accept how wildly in love God is with you, it should transform the way you look at everything else, and the way you feel about all of the challenges that life might throw at you. Romans 5:1-5 clearly says that, as Christians, we already stand justified, "just as if I'd never sinned", before God. This FACT should give us great peace, hope and not worry for the future and the ability to rejoice in even the most challenging of circumstances - because GOD LOVES YOU!! Allow God's view of you to give you peace in your inner being.

3. Reflect the grace that you have been shown towards all around you
God loves each of us for who we are. But His blessings usually have at least a two-fold purpose. For example, God has poured His love out on us through Jesus, and we are to "...love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another..." (Jn 13:34). We are not to just keep God's wonderful love to ourselves. It is the same with grace.  
 

Read the parable in Mt. 18:21-35 about the unmerciful servant. This parable deals with how much grace and forgiveness each of us has received from God - AND how that grace and forgiveness is to IMMEDIATELY transform our relationships to our fellow man - especially to those who stand in some kind (financial, emotional, relational, etc.) of debt to us. So important is our passing on of the grace we've received from God to others, that if we don't show the same grace towards them, our master will turn us over to the jailers/torturers to be dealt with, until we have paid back all that we owe to Him. Who could ever pay back to God all that we owe Him?

Let's accept the incredible, unbelievable grace God has given to us, and in turn, live gracious lives in an ungracious world.