Yesterday, I mentioned God’s amazing grace. God shows us prevenient grace, meaning before we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But why does God show us grace? Does he have a purpose for us? Are we willing to accept his purpose for our lives?
Accepting God’s grace does not come with conditions. Yet, it does come with expectations. We can accept God’s grace without seeking God’s purpose for our life. Yet, God has shown us grace so that we will go about the work he has for us.
We may think this makes God’s grace a transactional relationship, but it does not. No, we still have a choice. We can accept his grace without taking on the work he has for us. However, if we choose to go that route, we will not live the abundant life Jesus promised. It is by partnering with God in love and through his grace that we learn what it means to truly live.
It is by God’s grace that we are who we are. He has used many different situations, some he purposely set up and some of our own choosing that he uses anyway for our good. When we understand God is working in our lives, it changes how we see ourselves and others. We begin to realize there is something bigger at work and we are not the center of all things.
As our eyes are opened, we see the good works God has created for us to do. The most important of those is to love him and the second is to love others. We can show our love by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, housing the homeless, and being kind to everyone we meet. As we accept God’s grace and allow him to change us, we exhibit the fruits of the Spirit as defined in Galatians 5:22-23.
I pray we all accept God’s grace. I pray we commit ourselves to the good works God has prepared for us. I pray each one of us will exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. Accept God’s grace. Commit to God’s good works. Allow the Holy Spirit to work in you. Exhibit the fruits of the Spirit. Live the abundant life.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
Marty Pressey 