The Grace-Shaped Life

Spinning through our day we are shaped by the many things we allow to touch our lives. Everything we do, read, hear, and watch forms what we become. We are all made differently. We have all received our share of incidents, impressions and scars through the years. But, we have a choice what will we allow to shape our lives this year. Many people allow their lives to be shaped by ambition and reward, acceptance and pleasure, fear and responsibility. These things are what fuel most people’s lives. The scriptures tell that the disciples of Jesus were formed by something very different. The early Christians were shaped by God’s grace! Today it is what God offers us and can form what we can become. We can be grateful and embrace God’s grace. The apostle Pau said, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” 1 Corinthians 15:10. God’s grace, if we accept it, can change our lives for the better God’s grace can save us, but, it is also to shape us. God’s grace can be the reason why we do what we do. Simply put, God’s grace can have a most profound influence, impact, and impression in our lives. Therefore I urge you to live worthy of the calling with which you were called. The wonderful nature of God’s grace towards us helps us in how we live our lives. When you understand how great the grace of God is, you can live worthy of it! If Grace is not the motive for action, then the action is soon forgotten and abandoned. To see God’s grace is to be stunned at how personal it is, how underserved it is, and how inclusive it is. There is not a person or a sin that the grace of God cannot reach. Paul writes in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” As a sinner, separated from God, we could see his law from below, as a ladder to be climbed. Some have repeatedly tried to climb it, only to fall to the ground every time. Or perhaps the sheer height of the ladder seems so overwhelming that the climb never started. In either case, what relief Jesus offers us with open arms to lift anyone to make the journey up that ladder directly to God! Once Jesus lifts us into God’s presence, we are free to obey – out of love, not force or necessity, but through God’s power. We know that if we stumble, we will not fall back to the ground, and instead, you will be caught and held in Christ’s loving arms. Once we understand the sheer wonder of all we have in Christ we will begin to understand grace. We all have a choice as to what will shape our lives. There are a lot of things in our past that have shaped who we are. There are a lot of things that will happen this year which can shape who we become. But, as disciples of Christ we can choose for our lives to be shaped by the grace of God! Have you responded to His grace? Why not today?

Amazing Grace "How Sweet the Sound"

What does a Grace-filled life look like? It starts here on earth and continues with eternal life in heaven with God. It says in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life is a gift from God. It is a gift; it is not something that we must earn, nor something that must be paid back. Someone who receives a gift given out of love doesn’t offer to pay for it. A gift is not purchased by the recipient. The most appropriate response to a loved one who offers a gift is graceful acceptance with gratitude. Our salvation is such gift, not something of our own doing. God saved us because of His mercy, not just because of any good things that we have done. We can accept with thankfulness the gift that God has freely given to us. God saves us by his “Grace” when we believe. Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Romans 3:23. The wonderful news is; there is a way to be declared not guilty – by trusting in Jesus. Trusting means putting our confidence in Christ to forgive our sins, to make us right with God, and to empower us to live the way he taught us. God’s solution is available to all of us regardless of our background or past behavior. When God forgives our sins, our record is wiped clean. From his perspective, it is as though we had never sinned. Ephesians 1:7-8 says; “He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven.” God has showered His kindness on us – it is also called God’s “Grace.” This is His loving gift freely given to those believe. We cannot earn salvation; no religious, intellectual, or moral effort can gain it, because it comes only from God’s mercy and love. Without God’s grace, no person can be saved. To receive it, all we must do is acknowledge that we cannot save ourselves, that only God can save us, and that our only way to receive this loving favor is through faith in Christ. We are free to choose between two masters, sin or Jesus. The wages of sin is eternal death. That is all we can expect or hope for in life, without God. By choosing Jesus as our master, we receive His gift of eternal life – new life with God that begins on earth and continues forever with God. God loved the world so much that He gave His own Son. Have you put your trust in Him?