From God comes…
From God comes grace. Grace from a spiritual perspective means undeserved, unmerited favor. Because of this favor, God bestows many blessings on us.
We may say to ourselves that we aren’t so bad. If we do good things, why shouldn’t we receive good gifts from God? However, blessings resulting from God’s grace cannot be earned. They are freely given to those who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savor (Ephesians 2:8-9). God’s grace is extended to us through Jesus Christ. We have all sinned and fallen short, but by God’s grace our sins are forgiven because of Jesus’s sacrifice (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Through Moses we received the law, but it is through Christ we receive truth and grace (John 1:17). This grace is God’s divine love flowing to us. Technically, God owes us nothing. Yet, when we surrender our lives to Him, we realize that we are supported and loved unconditionally.
God’s grace is powerful. It provides sufficiency in all of our circumstances (2 Corinthians 9:8). Life can be filled with trouble and hardships. We all struggle to cope with problems. To spiritually survive, we must remember that our sufficiency comes through God’s grace (2 Corinthians 3:5).
Paul learned this when he asked God to remove a “thorn in the flesh” that bothered him (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). God does not always immediately deliver us from a trial. He didn’t in Paul’s situation. However, He did tell Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you… (2 Corinthians 12:9).”
Christians are not immune from troubles and hardships. They go through divorce, cancer, death of loved ones, career setbacks, financial losses, wars, imprisonment, floods, and tornadoes just like everyone else. God’s grace assures us we never have to face these trials alone. We have extra help. Only God knows how to turn weakness into strength, despair into hope, or light into darkness. Only God can give peace to a weary heart or heal a wounded soul. Trials may abound, but God’s grace can abound much more (Romans 5:20).
When we feel bombarded with one dire circumstance after another, we can feel numb. We feel like we are immersed in quicksand pulling us down. I’ve felt that way. Sometimes the only prayer I’ve been able to continually utter is, “Your grace is sufficient for me.” Even if I don’t feel it, I know it’s true. Sometimes I just repeat, “Jesus, you are enough,” over and over again—through the heartache and tears.
From God comes grace and God’s grace is a powerful thing! God’s grace provides strength to face each new day. God’s grace allows us to know that what happens on earth is temporary. God’s grace grants the assurance of hope for the future.
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God…”
~James 1:17 (NLT)
