When it comes to words and their definitions, there are multiple meanings. Let’s take a look at the word “grace.” In a Biblical sense, even the word grace has several meanings. Grace can be defined as “unmerited divine assistance.” Grace can also be defined as finding “favor” with God. This word (grace) may also be defined as being sanctified through divine help.
“For the grace of God has been revealed,
bringing salvation to all people.” (Titus 2:11); “Because of His [God’s] grace
he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal
life.” (Titus 3:7) — It’s freely given, but we must believe and accept His
grace to receive our inheritance of eternal peaceful life hereafter our life
here on this earth.
Mercy is
described as “kind and forgiving treatment,” when in reality, maybe the
treatment should or could be received as “harsh.” Mercy can also be described
as “kindness” or “giving help” to others when they may need help or what we
sometimes refer to as a “hand up.” When people are in a desperate situation and
we are able to help them out, we give and show mercy upon them.
Each time we
have a tragedy occur, such as the earthquakes in Nepal or the hurricanes and flooding
in Louisiana, we may be found to be merciful by donating clothing or money to
others. Maybe we are merciful in our actions to go help those in need with love
and prayer.
Now, God’s
mercy is more like the first definition of being “kind and forgiving,” and grace
is truly “unmerited divine assistance.” Why does God give us grace and mercy?
“He [God] shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.” (Luke
1:50)
Do you fear
God? He is our Heavenly Father. We should fear him. Do you fear His judgment?
You should. He is the only One to fear. He is the ultimate judge. I assure you
that you do not want to fall into the path of His great wrath someday.
If your
earthly Dad was a good father, then you’d say you feared him when you did
something wrong. Why? Because He wanted the best for you. He wanted you to be
obedient and do the right things. Why? Because He loved you very much, and God
loves you very much, too. He loves all of His creation. We are His creation.
Do we deserve
God’s love? God’s grace? God’s mercy? No, not really! Does anyone deserve grace
or mercy in forgiveness or favor from God? Not one of us really
deserves the grace or mercy of God. However, God gives it to us freely. He
freely gives us the reward of something that we don’t deserve. There is one
reality. God does not give us the free gift of salvation if we reject Him. He
won’t force us to accept Him. He wants us to accept Him willingly.
Why do many
people find it difficult to accept Him willingly? Could it be because they
consider Him to be a crutch? Yes! Could it be that they don’t want to be
considered weak? Yes! Yet, these are both so far from the truth in accepting
God willingly. In fact, they are quite the opposite in many ways.
Could it be
that these people who don’t want to believe they need God do not realize that
they should fear Him? He is the ultimate judge and every single one of us will
have to answer to God someday.
Yet: “For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused
death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift
of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and
death through this one man, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17) — If you don’t
accept this as truth, then God tells us that you will not enjoy Heaven after
you leave this earth, but you will suffer eternally in Hell instead. It’s still
your choice.
Why do most
people seem to have trouble receiving God’s divine help? They want to do
everything on their own. They want all the credit. I also find that many people
cannot forgive themselves for the offenses they have committed. They figure
that if they can’t forgive themselves, then why should God forgive them? They
believe the offenses are not forgivable. Or these people can’t seem to find a
way to feel worthy of mercy. Why should God give them mercy when they don’t
feel they deserve it?
Here’s why: “The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and
transgression [sin and rebellion], but
He does not excuse the guilty...” (Numbers 14:18).
We must accept
God and His Son, Jesus Christ, first into our heart, not just our mind. We must
seek His forgiveness, mercy, and grace. We must seek Him. We must forgive
ourselves and others, and then He will forgive us, too, if we simply ask Him to
do so.
We must
repent (change and stop sinning)! We can’t ask for forgiveness for an offense
(a sin) and then keep sinning the same sin over and over again. We must find
the strength of God through the Holy Spirit to stop the sin. Then we can be
forgiven and found to be in God’s good graces and mercy, and even receive God’s
favor. He gives us the ability to conquer the sins that used to bind us.
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that
God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Well then, since God's grace
has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course
not!” (Romans 6:14-15)
“So just as sin ruled over all people and
brought them to death, now God's wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right
standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
(Romans 5:21)
“And since it is through God's kindness, then
it is not by their good works. For in that case, God's grace would not be what
it really is — free and undeserved.” (Romans 11:6)
“But He [God] gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the
Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but favors the humble.’ ” (James
4:6)
When
we can accept God’s grace and mercy, we will be forgiven, forgive ourselves,
and forgive others. We will find salvation in God through Jesus Christ. We can
receive God’s favor. We can conquer sin and crucify this flesh we live in (our
body), but we also now house His spirit of truth and love within (our body) once we accept God, and
we can live in and desire to worship God “in spirit and in truth.”
Let these be
your words of spirit and your truth: “I
pray to you, O Lord,
my rock. Do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you are silent, I might as well
give up and die. Listen to my prayer for mercy as I cry out to you for help, as
I lift my hands... Praise the Lord! For He has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord
is my strength and shield. I trust Him with all my heart. He helps me, and my
heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. The Lord gives
His people strength. He is a safe fortress...” (Psalm 28:1-2, 6, 7-8)
Now this
scripture holds true for me and it should for you, too: “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the
work assigned me by the Lord Jesus — the work of telling others the Good News
about the wonderful grace of God.” (Acts 20:24); “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able
to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for
Himself.” (Acts 20:32); “By God's grace
and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading
this Good News.” (Ephesians 3:7)
Until we
virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.
God’s Word for Today: Multiple verses for today as follows!
“We believe that we are all saved the same
way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 15:11)
“For by grace you have been saved through
faith [when you believed], and you can’t take credit for this; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne
of grace, [so] that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
“Be merciful, just as your Father [God] is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)
“...God, ... is rich in mercy, because of
His great love with which He loved us.” (Ephesians 2:4)
“God blesses those who are merciful, for they
will be shown mercy.” (Matthew
5:7)
Copyright
© 2015 by Patricia Shehan
All scripture is quoted from various translations of the Holy
Bible (God’s Word) and is set in italics and quotation marks.
