The Grace to Let Others Be
In this lesson, let's turn our attention to that horizontal dimension and learn to help others find the same freedom God grants us, as we accept them as they are and release them to learn and grow.
The word grace is a short, simple word. But understanding the biblical depth and meaning of grace can take a lifetime of study and application. It's almost a shame that a word describing suppleness of movement or a short, quick prayer before a meal is the same word we use to describe God's unfathomable love for sinners. Nevertheless, it is grace that moves Him to offer us the free gift of salvation and forgiveness.
Grace is what compelled the Apostle Paul to write of a mystery never understood before (1 Corinthians 2:7-13). Grace is also what allows us to relax into another's accepting embrace as he or she gives us the freedom to discover our unique journey laid out by God. So relax as we journey together down the path toward freedom and the wonderment of the surpassing riches of God's grace!
In this lesson, let's turn our attention to that horizontal dimension and learn to help others find the same freedom God grants us, as we accept them as they are and release them to learn and grow.
This is grace at its best: when you’re able to say, “They have their lives. And that also means that my attention needs to be on my life.” Only One should be in charge of everyone’s lives...His name is Jesus.
All of us who are tempted to abuse the marvellous grace of God would be wise to examine and apply the guidelines set forth in this powerful paragraph from God's inerrant Word.
Many of us in God's family live like we're still enslaved to our old master. Can we really live above sin's dominion? And has sin truly lost its authority over us? Grace shouts, “YES!”
Christ has set the believer free but more often than not, Christians are uptight, inflexible, inhibited, cautious, and living like slaves. Why? Legalism.
Few individuals are better examples of grace than Mephibosheth, a forgotten and obscure man who was convinced he would live out his days in a wasteland. How wrong he was!
There will always be those who abuse God's grace. Let's clarify and analyze this tension while being careful not to allow the abuse of a few to diminish the message of grace.
What we received from our ancestors, they received from their ancestors all the way back to the apostles themselves. But what is the content of that heritage, and how can we make grace a reality in our lives today?
I can testify to this truthfully: When grace awakens in a husband’s heart, he begins to care for the one God gave him in a new and deeper way. He becomes increasingly aware of his wife’s value, her giftedness, and her significance.
Grace is God's demonstration of love. It is acceptance without reservation, forgiveness without condemnation, and pardon without probation. Let's seek to understand God's free gift of grace.