IT’S ALL BY GRACE – From Start to Finish

Source: Google Images

When Paul prayed for that infamous “thorn in the flesh” to be removed from him, God answered his prayer, not the kind of answer he was expecting, so like many of us would do today, he prayed again and yet again before it finally dawned on him – God had answered his prayer and boy what an answer it was!  

Here is what the Lord n His infinite wisdom said to Paul:

9 My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness - 2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV

Many times we've taken this response to imply something along the lines of “well, you’ll just have to try and manage..”,  or “just hang in there…and persevere” when actually what God was saying to Paul was more like: “My grace is all you've ever needed and it’s always been available to you, don’t rely on your own strength”. To rely on the arm of flesh, to rely on what we can produce on our own to earn what God alone can and has already provided is to set aside His grace, and the end result is always missing the mark and falling short. We all know what that leads to...not good! 

When Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, was facing the task of rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem after returning from Babylonian captivity, the Word of the Lord that came through the prophet to encourage him was somewhat similar to the one given to Paul, the apostle.

⁶ So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power,but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. – Zechariah 4:6 NIV

Now that we are in Christ, we are one with Him, we are members of His body, we each have our own distinct yet equally important functions in the body and we are each equipped and enabled to do our part by His grace.

The Word of God say:

⁷ But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. –Ephesians 4:7 NIV

⁶ We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. –       Romans 12:6a NIV

Now, let’s see what the grace of God accomplished in Paul’s life:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.– 1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV

So there...out goes the often repeated false and misleading notion that grace makes one complacent. The truth is, grace causes and enables us to not only be effective, but to also be efficient in accomplishing what we've been called to do, which more often than not is far above and beyond our natural talents and abilities, so that God, and not man, may receive all the glory! No wonder the apostle Paul said:

⁷ we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us” – 2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV

Today, because of what Christ has done to reconcile us back to the Father, when we believe in Him we are clothed in His righteousness – not only that – we are encouraged to come boldly before the Throne of Grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. – Hebrews 4:16 NIV

Source: Google Images

This is also the reason why we are encouraged by the Holy Spirit to keep on receiving God’s abundant provision of grace and His gift of righteousness so that we may reign in life through Christ Jesus. (Romans 5:17)

So yes, even today, His grace is sufficient for you too! His grace is well able to carry you victoriously through anything and everything you are facing.   

May the grace of God accomplish in you, through you and with you what your natural abilities cannot for His grace is indeed sufficient!  

Blessings!