The Grace of God

The Lord said to me…”I will test my people with a Plumbline, Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Grace of God

Clayt Sheridan II

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. John 1:16 (NLT)

Grace to you and peace from God - 1 Corinthians 1:3 (NKJV)

The Apostle Paul explores the subject of “grace” to the Corinthians. The church belongs to God, not man. Had the Corinthians recognized this, their problem of division might not have existed. Those who compose the church have been sanctified, set apart by God as His possession. The burden of Paul’s letter was that the Corinthians’ practice might more nearly approximate their position. Christ Jesus as Lord was to be obeyed. Grace was what brought them together and what they needed to display mutually so that relational peace would be maintained. God produced these qualities, especially needed in the Corinthian church, in those dependent on Him.

I love what Bob Gass wrote in todays devotional (2/5/13) regarding the “Grace” of God. 

“Several of Paul’s epistles open with the words, “Grace be unto you, and peace, from God.” That’s because you cannot experience God’s peace unless you first know how to receive His grace and walk in it. There are three things about grace you need to understand: (a) it cannot be earned; (b) it is God doing for you what you cannot do for yourself; (c) it doesn’t kick in until you stop struggling and trying to do it in your own strength. The Bible says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6 NIV). The “humble” are those who admit their total inability to succeed without God’s help, but the “proud” are always trying to take credit. They like to think it’s their ability that gets the job done, so they’ve difficulty asking God for grace, and even more difficulty receiving it. Peter writes, “Grow in grace” (2Pe 3:18). You only learn to trust God by doing it! You grow in grace by taking God at His Word, counting on His gracious provision for each day, and His intervention in situations that are difficult or impossible for you. There will never be a day when you don’t need God’s grace. And if you are willing to acknowledge you need it and receive it by faith, there will be no shortage of it. “For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift” (Jn 1:16 AMP).”” 

 

•  We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. John 1:16 (MSG)

• We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—blessing upon blessing heaped upon us! John 1:16 (TLB)

•   The LORD is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. Psalms 145:8 (NLT)

Thank God for all His great provisions that assist us on a joyous path to victory and triumph.