IT IS ALL BY GOD'S GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 10, 2024.

SUBJECT : IT IS ALL BY GOD'S GRACE! 

Memory verse: "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (First Corinthians 5 vs 10.)

READ:  Second Corinthians 12 vs 9 - 10:

12:9: And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

12:10: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, than I am strong.

INTIMATION:

God's grace is bestowed on us in accordance with His plans and purposes. Whatever He does is according to His sovereign plans, and in line with His divine purposes. The limitations, and also abundance in our lives is purposed by Him in line with His divine plans and purposes. Therefore, God’s grace (the power of God) is made available to all believers, at the point of our needs to face the challenges in our lives.

In the passage we read today, the apostle Paul explained this fact with the limitation he suffered due to a certain infirmity he had, "thorn in the flesh." Though he did not say what it was, but it's suspected to be a disease of the eye according to his word in Galatians 4 vs 13 - 15: "You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me."

The chronic and debilitating problem, at times kept him from working. It was a hindrance to his ministry, and he prayed for its removal; but God refused indicating to him that it is not by his strength or abilities that he had accomplished all he did, but by His grace available to him; “And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." The apostle Paul had something far greater than his infirmity because he received grace from God to function. 

As long as we live we will always have to face situations for which we don't have all the answers. If we don't have something going on in our lives that we can't handle, we wouldn't need God, therefore, we wouldn't need faith, we wouldn't have to trust in God. The Lord will see to it that we are always dependent upon Him. And He does that by leading us into situations that are over our head. That is why although we may get worried, God never gets worried because He already knows exactly what He's going to do. 

God has got a plan, a path and a work all ready for us. Although the Lord already has a plan for us to follow, a path for us to walk in and a work for us to do, He won't give us all the answers today that we will need tomorrow. With each new day comes the grace that we need to live that day and meet the challenges of it.

You may have heard the story about the young man who was in prison and about to be burned at the stake the next day for his faith in Christ. In the same cell there was an older man, more experienced believer who knew more about the way of the Lord. As it began to get dark, the younger man struck a match to light a candle and, as he did so, he burned his finger. Letting out a cry of anguish and pain, he said to his companion, "How can I stand to be burned at the stake tomorrow if I can't stand to be burned on the finger tonight?" The older man calmly replied, "Son, God didn't ask you to burn your finger, so there is no grace for that. But He is asking you to die for your faith, so when the time comes the grace will be there."

No matter what happens, God is still in control. He has a plan to handle everything that we will encounter in this life. And His grace is sufficient to meet all our needs. We must turn to God to seek pathways for effectiveness, rather than relying on our own energy, effort, or talent. In our weakness God demonstrates His power, therefore, our weaknesses not only help us develop Christian character, it also deepens our worship, because in admitting our weaknesses, we affirm God's strength.

Now, it is noteworthy that it was God's plan to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, and God’s grace was available to Him to accomplish the task, and hence the Bible recorded in Luke 2 vs 40, "And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” God's plan carries His grace.

Prayer: Abba Father, Your grace is sufficient to navigate me through the path of life already planned and purposed by You even before I was formed in my mother's womb. Thank You my faithful companion for all You have done, is doing, and will do in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!