GRACE VERSUS WORKS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY AUGUST 06, 2022. 

SUBJECT:  GRACE VERSUS WORKS!

Memory verse:  “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work?” (Romans 11 vs 6.) 

READ:  Romans 6 vs 15 - 16:

6:15: What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? Certainly not! 

6:16: Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

INTIMATION:

Grace and works are diametrically opposed to one another. They cannot fellowship or have anything to do with each other. In other words, grace and works are mutually exclusive. Where one exists, the other cannot exist. Every single activity in our lives has the required grace to empower us for its accomplishment. As your faith grows, and you put all your trust upon God; He will make all grace abound toward you, that you will always have all sufficiency in all things, and have abundance for every good work (See Second Corinthians 9 vs 8). 

If you and I wants to accomplish the tasks by our own efforts, that is, being into works, then we are out of grace. If we are in grace, then we are out of works. Any time we get into works, the grace of God ceases to operate on our behalf. God has no choice but to back off and wait until we have finished trying to handle things ourselves. As long as we continue to try to figure out our own problems, we will only get more and more frustrated and confused. The reason is because we are trying to operate without grace of God, and that is never going to be successful. 

Now, the apostle Paul stated this clearly about himself and his exploits; “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” We must know that discernment (insight, perception, understanding) does not come out of the head, but out of the heart, "out of the inner man", where the Holy Spirit dwells—the Spirit of grace. The Scripture in Ephesians 3 vs 16 says, "that He will grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through the Spirit in the inner man.”

Discernment or understanding is simply God's wisdom for any situation of life. It is a "spiritual knowing" about how to handle things. The understanding is by His grace (the power of the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of grace) indwelling your innermost being. Your own thoughts are from the head, out of the work of your head. That leads to frustration and confusion. If we have a problem, we don't need to try to figure it out, we need discernment (insight). We need to hear from God. We need God's word on our situation. We need Him to show us what to do. And we are only going to have insight when we give up reasoning. If you are frustrated and confused, it is a sure sign that you are in excess, that you are depending on works rather than on grace.

Confusion is not from God. The Bible says that God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. (First Corinthians 14 vs 33.)  As soon as you begin to feel frustrated and confused, as soon as you start to lose your sense of inner peace, you need to say to yourself, "Oh I have gone too far." You have to realize that you are out of grace and into works. You must give up your efforts and entrust yourself totally to the Lord, leaving your situation entirely in His hands.

Once you turn from your reasoning to the grace of God, you open a channel of faith through which He can begin to reveal to you what you need to know in order to handle that problem or situation. Enter God's rest, and seize from your own works; “For He who has entered His rest has Himself also ceased from His works as God did from His.” (Hebrews 4 vs 10,) And when you have done that, you will begin to hear His answers.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my loving Father and faithful Companion. I put all my trust in You, casting all my cares upon You. O Lord make all grace abound toward me that I may be sufficient in all things and have abundance in every good work, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!