G.R.O.W.
Grace
The grass in our front yard has not always grown well. It hasn’t always been green or thick or much to look at from the street. While it’s still not the jewel of the neighborhood, it’s doing well lately and is growing better than it has for years. If I can straddle the line here between honesty and pride, the truth is that it doesn’t have a lot to do with the grass. It has more to do with the helping hand our lawn has gotten these past few years. We cut down several pesky pine and spruce trees that were blocking the sun and making the soil acidic with their needles. We’ve tried to water it more, used the “weed and feed” fertilizer and stopped bagging as much when we mow to reseed the lawn. We’ve given our front lawn some much needed help. That’s why it’s growing well.
In the much the same way, the growth that we experience as Christians is going to have less to do with us and more to do with the helping hand of the Lord in our lives. To be sure, there are very active and very clear things that the Bible tells us as Christians to do in order to grow; things like repentance, obedience and works. But, the reality is that we will not grow without a lot of help from the Lord.
Grace is the word that the Bible uses to describe God’s help. It is God’s grace that shines on the Christian, waters the soul and causes growth. Grace is God’s help; His undeserved help and we are dependent on God’s grace every step of our walk with Christ.
Grace is there at the beginning of our walk with the Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 says:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
When we are forgiven, become a child of God and are saved, it is by grace. It is by God’s undeserved help that we become a Christian. It is not “a result of works” or self-help, but God’s help. It is not “our own doing; it is the gift of God” that is given as we believe in Christ. His grace has made us “his workmanship” and even the good works that we are to live out are “prepared” ahead of time by God. Our journey with Christ begins because of God grace, His undeserved help.
Grace is there to help us at every turn as Christians; even the wrong turns we take. 1 John 1:9 holds out grace to us when we fall when it says,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When we confess and acknowledge to God our wrong, He helps us. He forgives and cleanses us. The essence of forgiveness is undeserved help. We deserve a consequence but don’t get it. We owe a debt but don’t have to pay it. We don’t have to pay it because Christ has paid it and each time we fall short as believers the Lord points us back to the cross where His justice was poured out so that we could be helped . . . every time we fail.
Grace is there each step of the way to point us to Christ and to help us to say no to temptation. Titus 2:12-14 says:
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age. . .waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
We don’t often think of grace as being what helps us “renounce ungodliness” and “live self-controlled”. It seems on the surface like rules and do’s and don’ts would be the way to go. But, the Bible teaches that it is grace that trains us to say no to the wrong and to choose the right. It’s grace that helps us to follow Christ. Rules don’t give us power to do right, they just tell us what to do. But God’s grace has come to help us say no to the wrong and follow the one who “gave himself for us”. It is not fear of punishment from a just God that causes us to obey, but love for a savior who has taken our just punishment. His underserved grace empowers and motivates us.
As we continue to follow Christ and by His help find fresh growth and health in our walk with Him, may we always be quick to recognize and confess that it is “by the grace of God that I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). It is His helping hand that brings growth from beginning to end.
- Kevin Rogers
The grass in our front yard has not always grown well. It hasn’t always been green or thick or much to look at from the street. While it’s still not the jewel of the neighborhood, it’s doing well lately and is growing better than it has for years. If I can straddle the line here between honesty and pride, the truth is that it doesn’t have a lot to do with the grass. It has more to do with the helping hand our lawn has gotten these past few years. We cut down several pesky pine and spruce trees that were blocking the sun and making the soil acidic with their needles. We’ve tried to water it more, used the “weed and feed” fertilizer and stopped bagging as much when we mow to reseed the lawn. We’ve given our front lawn some much needed help. That’s why it’s growing well.
In the much the same way, the growth that we experience as Christians is going to have less to do with us and more to do with the helping hand of the Lord in our lives. To be sure, there are very active and very clear things that the Bible tells us as Christians to do in order to grow; things like repentance, obedience and works. But, the reality is that we will not grow without a lot of help from the Lord.
Grace is the word that the Bible uses to describe God’s help. It is God’s grace that shines on the Christian, waters the soul and causes growth. Grace is God’s help; His undeserved help and we are dependent on God’s grace every step of our walk with Christ.
Grace is there at the beginning of our walk with the Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 says:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
When we are forgiven, become a child of God and are saved, it is by grace. It is by God’s undeserved help that we become a Christian. It is not “a result of works” or self-help, but God’s help. It is not “our own doing; it is the gift of God” that is given as we believe in Christ. His grace has made us “his workmanship” and even the good works that we are to live out are “prepared” ahead of time by God. Our journey with Christ begins because of God grace, His undeserved help.
Grace is there to help us at every turn as Christians; even the wrong turns we take. 1 John 1:9 holds out grace to us when we fall when it says,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When we confess and acknowledge to God our wrong, He helps us. He forgives and cleanses us. The essence of forgiveness is undeserved help. We deserve a consequence but don’t get it. We owe a debt but don’t have to pay it. We don’t have to pay it because Christ has paid it and each time we fall short as believers the Lord points us back to the cross where His justice was poured out so that we could be helped . . . every time we fail.
Grace is there each step of the way to point us to Christ and to help us to say no to temptation. Titus 2:12-14 says:
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age. . .waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
We don’t often think of grace as being what helps us “renounce ungodliness” and “live self-controlled”. It seems on the surface like rules and do’s and don’ts would be the way to go. But, the Bible teaches that it is grace that trains us to say no to the wrong and to choose the right. It’s grace that helps us to follow Christ. Rules don’t give us power to do right, they just tell us what to do. But God’s grace has come to help us say no to the wrong and follow the one who “gave himself for us”. It is not fear of punishment from a just God that causes us to obey, but love for a savior who has taken our just punishment. His underserved grace empowers and motivates us.
As we continue to follow Christ and by His help find fresh growth and health in our walk with Him, may we always be quick to recognize and confess that it is “by the grace of God that I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). It is His helping hand that brings growth from beginning to end.
- Kevin Rogers