Grace to Get Through
by James MacDonald

God is able to make all grace abound to you. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Think back to a time when you were in a difficult place. (Maybe you're in one now.) Were you surprised by the peace and comfort that was yours in Christ? When people around you were going under, by some miracle God held you together.

I know where your strength came from: Grace—God's favor for His own. Grace is what God gives to get us through. Doctors give prescriptions so we can get well, employers give paychecks so we can get current, teachers give lessons so we can get smart, and God gives grace so we can get through. If you don't have the grace, you're just not making it.

The New Testament has much to say about grace. Ephesians 2:8 says that we're saved by grace. Titus 2:11 says that saving grace has appeared to all. God's grace is enough for us, says 2 Corinthians 12:9. Second Corinthians 6:1 says that we shouldn't even try to live apart from the grace He's given us. Hebrews 12:15 warns that if we fall short of the grace of God—if, as we go through a hard time, we don't draw down upon the grace of God—then bitterness will surface and defile us. First Corinthians 16:23, as well as many other New Testament closing passages, gives a final blast of encouragement by reminding us about "the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that is with us all."

No doubt about it, there is a sustaining, nourishing, feeding, get-you-through-the-thing-you're-going-through grace that God would give to every person reading this.

You flat out can't get through life without it. If you're trying to get along on your own, you've got a big problem on your hands. Without God's grace, we can't be saved. Without His grace, we can't grow. Without His grace, we won't be sustained through the trials in life. Do you have the grace?

The grace of God is the source and storehouse of all that we need, not only to get through life, but to prosper in an ever-increasing fruitful, faithful walk with Christ. God's supply is unlimited and available upon request. All you have to do is ask.

Sunday, March 01, 2009