Truly Amazing Grace

“Be strong in the grace,” Paul exhorts Timothy, “that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).  The grace you need for the race set before you is without measure because it flows from within the Master.  Like a fountain, grace flows from the Prince to His people in abundant supplies.  Grace to recapture your heart.  Grace to renew your mind.  Grace to restore your soul.  Grace to rehabilitate your marriage.  Grace to resurrect your parent/child relationship.  Grace to refresh your single life.  Grace to re-start your church service.  And this grace is not reserved for a few super “spiritual” saints.  It is poured out on every blood-bought child of God regardless of the station in life for two reasons…God’s everlasting glory and your eternal good. 

You see, grace does more than give eternal life.  It gives “every day” life and it gives it in abundant supply.  Moment by moment, God has given you all the grace you need to do all He is calling you to do.  Yet many Christians forsake the grace of God and instead choose to live lives built upon the twin pillars of self-confidence and self-sufficiency.  Self-confidence is really no confidence at all.  Self-sufficiency is really not sufficient.  These are enemies of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ which demands we depend upon Him and not ourselves for all that we need in both life and death.  When Jesus told His disciples, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5) He was making it clear that we are dependent upon His grace for everything. 

So what have you been depending on lately?  Have you been living portions of your life apart from Christ?  Have you been working in your strength or in the strength of our Lord?  Have you been depending upon your wisdom or the wisdom of the Word of God?  DON’T BE FOOLED into thinking that you don’t have a problem with relying on yourself rather than His grace.  Paul would have never exhorted Timothy to be “strong in the grace of Christ” if our natural tendency to rely on ourselves was not so powerful and pervasive.  Paul knew by way of personal experience that it is woven into our DNA.  Paul told his spiritual son Timothy that the only real source of true strength to shape his life was to be found in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God-confidence, not self-confidence is true confidence.  God-sufficiency…not self-sufficiency is all sufficient for everything you need in both eternal life and every day life.  NEVER FORGET THAT…AMEN!