"The Place of Grace"

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 

Three times Paul prayed for the removal of the "thorn in his flesh". The scripture above was God's answer. The Lord didn't say He would remove it, instead He told Paul that His grace and strength would be there with him. To me this indicates that there are some things that we will have to walk through. There is no getting out of them. They are a part of life, a part of our spiritual journey, and a part of the process of developing Christ's character in our lives. But just because we have to go through them, it doesn't mean that we go through them alone.

 

God gave Paul, and us, a promise-- "My grace is sufficient, my strength is made perfect in your weakness". This is one of the most comforting promises in the Bible. It is God's own grace and His own strength that will be with us- not that of another person. His grace will always be enough- it will never fall short, it will never come up lacking, it will not run out. His strength will always be strong enough- it will not need any outside help; it will not grow tired or weary. 

 

God not only gives grace, but His very presence is also grace. He not only gives strength, He is strength. Where He is His grace and strength are. For the born-again believer He is dwelling inside of us so that means grace and strength are always present within us. Grace is not just an event. It is not something that only comes upon us when we are in need or going through a trying time. The grace of God is present with us always. Grace is a Person (the Lord), it is an endowment, it is our "traveling companion", but it is also a "place"- the place (state) in which we live.

 

It is grace that saves us. It is grace that keeps us saved. It is grace that gets us out of bed each morning and gives us the air we breathe. It is grace that keeps us from losing our mind when problems get more than we can bear. It is grace that keeps us from throwing in the towel. It is grace that gives us courage in the face of adversity. It is grace that gives us peace when confusion is present. It is grace that keeps us pressing forward when we think about retreating. It is grace that holds us together when we feel like falling apart. It is grace that gives us the ability to put one foot in front of the other and keep going on. 

 

Take time to thank the Lord for His grace today. It is ever present with you because He is ever present with you.

 

Have a great day. God's grace is the place in which we live. 

 

For further reading:

Ephesians 4:7

2 Corinthians 9:8; 13:14