Grace

Posted on December 12, 2019 by Catey Stover in Victory Call

Grace. A word that tends to result in heads nodding in agreement, smiles of gratitude and knowing looks of acknowledgment. But as we are discovering around here, all those things tend to go away as discussions go deeper, below the surface. We are finding ourselves asking the question: What is grace? What does it look like in my life? What does it look like as I interact with others? What does it mean to be grace-ous and grace-ful?

I find it fascinating, exciting and challenging. I am privileged to work alongside some awesome believers that are passionate about Jesus Christ. I would venture to guess that if we added up all the years we have been believers we would rack up hundreds of years. Yet, we find ourselves asking foundational questions like how does grace really influence our ministry. I am grateful that we are always willing to evaluate, ask questions and pursue excellence even if it means change.

I have had many people asking me questions adding to my own. It is one thing to say I understand grace but entirely different to experience grace, lived out by faith. I believe that over the years, I have allowed AMAZING grace to become just another doctrine that I know and teach. Grace is dynamic, powerful, consuming. I was growing in my understanding and experience of grace but over the past 5 or 6 years it leaked out, and I lost it.

I have heard people say “let go and let God”. I try to clearly express that grace is not becoming a couch potato Christian – sometimes the “let go let God” perspective can be misunderstood to mean we do nothing. That we can sit on the couch and wait for God to do it through us while we click the remote through the channels. I don’t think that is what God means when He says that He will live His life through us. Christ living His life through me is active. Oh, I can hear the questions already. Hold that thought. I don’t have all the answers – I’m still seeking and pursuing God myself. I want to experience more of Him.

At the moment of salvation, Jesus Christ gave me new life – His life, all I’ll ever get, but my experience of His life in me will grow and flourish until the day I see Him face-to-face. “And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” 1 John 5:11-12

As we have shared, discussed, debated and studied each of us have different bottom lines…How grace impacts us most deeply.

For me the bottom line is…

Colossians 1:27 … Christ in you, the hope of glory

Written By Diane Hunt: Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and provides ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

Think About This: “The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us”–C.S. Lewis

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.

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