It’s a word we don’t hear often in society unless it’s used as a name. However, occasionally we hear the term “grace period” when referring to additional time that is granted to complete a task or fulfill a commitment without incurring penalties.
In the spiritual realm, grace speaks of the undeserving love of God towards people who have no relationship with Him, no interest in Him, and prefer to live isolated from Him. In other words, God focuses His loving grace upon people who do not want His grace and happily live without any understanding of Him.
The apostle Paul spoke openly of grace in his life. In 1 Timothy 1:13, Paul admitted that in His pre-Christian life, he was a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man. Everything about Paul’s life displayed his indifference to, and hatred of Jesus Christ, even though he was a religious man. So, we could hardly blame God if Paul was taken off any list of favourites. But that’s not what happened. Paul continues in verse 13, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. While grace and mercy are similar, mercy focuses more on compassionate love, while grace focuses on love in spite of the recipient’s unworthiness.
Then, in verse 14, Paul says the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly. Appreciating God’s mercy heightened Paul’s awareness of his unworthiness and God’s grace in loving him. This is why Paul could say, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst (1Ti 1:15).
Our appreciation of grace’s beauty increases as we think of how grace saved us from God’s wrath, keeps us secure from judgement, and shall deliver us to heaven. God’s grace is like the ground under our feet and the glue that keeps us stuck to the LORD through both the sweet and sour times of life.
Grace empowers us to embrace His love in exchange of our old and less than pure affections. Grace strengthens our resolve to filter out old voices from a past lifestyle when they speak loudly. Grace energises our desire to walk away from the place of temptation looking instead for those places and friendships which advance Christlikeness.
It’s good to pray like David; Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace (Psalm 86:6). God’s response to such prayers begins by locking our attention onto the fact that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). Therefore, focusing on the character and work of Jesus Christ is essential to experiencing His power in our lives. This involves an intentional exchange in our affections, in how we allocate our time and personal resources. But most of all, it’s a deliberate and ongoing shift of our deepest desires, from being self-oriented to being Christ-oriented. This monumental shift of our passions is fuelled by faith in Christ, and stubbornly leans upon His grace to keep the forward movement of our hearts towards Him (Eph 2:8-9).
While this redirection of our hearts began at salvation, it continues over our entire lives in God’s transformative work. Which Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom… And the Lord – who is the Spirit – makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into his glorious image. God’s grace works over time, bringing the heart and mind changes needed within us. Everyone should love grace, as grace patiently implements God’s love, bringing Him glory, and His blessing to we who don’t deserve it.
