Dave’s Monday Blast – September 11, 2023
Good Morning Men of Intention,
I read an article the other day from First15 (a daily devotional) entitled Having Grace for Others. It was based upon this teaching by Jesus found in John13:34 – 35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. To His point, the Apostle Paul comments in 1 Corinthians 13:1 – 3:, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
The author of the article comments: “In response to the wealth of grace given to us by our heavenly Father, we are called to be ministers of his grace (an abundance of love) to others. Until we set others free from having to live up to our standards, we will never experience true freedom ourselves. Living apart from an attitude of continual grace robs us of the joy of living without unrealistic expectations of others. When we are slow to offer grace for the sins of others, we step outside the realm of God’s kingdom and place our hope and security in this fleeting world.”
Jesus illustrated this truth with a parable found in Matthew 18:1 – 35 (Take a moment to read this passage). It reminds us that we are indeed called to offer grace to others, and not because of who they are or what they’ve done. If grace were based on merit or self-worth, it wouldn’t be grace. We are called to offer grace because no debt owed to us compares to the insurmountable debt of sin forgiven by the death of Jesus. The author continues: “There is no wrong someone could ever commit against us that could compare to the amount of unmerited favor we’ve received.”
Men of INTENTION would certainly agree with the author of this article that as His chosen ones we are called to be ministers of His grace to others. And of course, Jesus’ command in John 13 is impossible to misunderstand; we are to love others as He loved us. But this truth is easier said than done. I want to return to this conversation next week with a suggestion or two that will help us to be more consistent grace dispensers.
In the mean time, remember the following this week:
YOU ARE…
1. Saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:8)
2. Covered by Grace (Ephesians 1:6)
3. Forgiven because of Grace (Colossians 1:14)
4. Freed from sin’s chains because of Grace (Romans 6:11)
5. Are partakers of His divine nature because of His Grace (2 Peter 1:4)
If you have another moment give a listen to the song Scandal of Grace as it speaks into this simply idea that our God provides so much grace to anyone who will receive it that in our humanity we are shocked at the depth of His love (Romans 5:8).
