| In previous articles we
have seen the
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that,
though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through
his poverty might be rich and we have seen the riches
of His grace are like a vast ocean. Now we want to consider what
it means to be rich in the riches
of His grace. The basic
reason people desire to be financially rich is to be able to have what
ever they want, to do what ever they want and to have and do what
ever they want whenever they want. In other words, they want to be
free of limitation of wanting and not having what they want. They want to
rule their life according to their own will.
If we, as Christians, are made rich
in Christ and we can live out of the riches
of His grace, that endless supply is exactly what we have. No
matter what we face in our life, no matter what comes against us, we have
all we need according to the riches of
His grace. There
is such a sufficiency of His grace for any circumstances we may encounter,
that the supply is referred to as the
exceeding riches of His grace.
The difference is that being a Christian
means ye are not your own
for ye are bought with a price. The wealthy man rules his
life according to his own will. As Christians Jesus teaches us that when we
pray, we are to pray, Your will
be done on earth as it is in heaven. As Christians we say as
Christ said, Behold, I have come to do
Your will, O God. As to Who has the right to our bodies and
our spirits, the Scripture declares of them, which
are God's. The Scripture makes it clear that there are certain
specific pre-determined works that Father expects of us, for
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which
God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. His
will determines the use of these riches of
His grace.
While determining what those good
works are is a subject of its own, the fact that He Who calls us
to those specific pre-determined works will grant us the grace to do them is
the meaning of the phrase the riches
of His grace. The works we are to do are works of His choice,
by His power, in His timing, according to
the riches of His grace.
We are told the
Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And of
His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
The expression grace upon grace
is saying that there is plenty of grace supplied to you to be enabled to do
whatever He has called you to do. Nothing can confront you or challenge you
without His having ordered it so. He will, with that commission, supply
you with the grace to do it. Paul tells us this when he says; God
is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having
all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every
good work. For us to have the grace to do the work He has
called us to do requires us to be doing the work which
God prepared beforehand for us to do. If you dont have
the grace to do something, He hasnt called you to do it.
Years ago a woman wept saying that she
did not think she had the grace to die for Jesus. She said if she were put
up against the wall and ordered to deny Jesus or die; she feared she would
not have the grace to die for her faith in Jesus. I asked her if she was
facing such a threat. She said she wasnt. Why would you need the grace to
do something He did not call you to do? If that time should come, He will
amply supply the grace you need according to the exceeding
riches of His grace.
By His life Jesus showed us the kind of
life that God's grace is developing in us a life of truth, a life of godly
reality. Jesus came as the One to offer that fullness of grace to all who
have been called to trust in Him. And Paul even confessed, 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. He admonished
Timothy, You therefore, my son, be strong
in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Now, as we are depending upon Him day by
day, life is explained and developed "grace
upon grace." God's grace received starts with forgiveness and
spiritual new birth. Then, growth in grace, transformation, fruitfulness,
victory, maturing, service, etc., are manifested in our lives as His grace
is appropriated by faith. Yes, the Christian life is to be "grace
upon grace" upon grace, upon grace, upon grace until we stand
face to face someday with our Lord of grace!
Wherever we are in our spiritual
pilgrimage, our progress has come from receiving by faith from His fullness
of grace. Whatever remains to be accomplished must transpire in the same
manner, receiving more fully of His fullness. Oh, what fullness is yet
available to us in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ!
May we ever be
thankful to our Lord Jesus Christ for coming to dwell among humanity and
becoming a man full
of grace and truth.
May we worship Him and know the fullness of grace available to us in Him.
May we appreciate His grace that He has established and built into our
lives. May we reach out to Him with expectation for the grace that is
needed, as it is needed, for the rest of our spiritual pilgrimage on earth,
for we have available to us grace
upon grace.
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