With a title like, “Aren’t You Glad There’s Grace for THAT?” you probably are wondering what the THAT is. Great question! THAT covers much territory and takes up a big part of everyday life. Let me give you a couple of key things THAT covers.

 

Grace unto Change

First, THAT includes grace unto change. Possibly, today, you are struggling with a long term sin problem. Maybe it is lust, maybe it is lying, maybe it is jealousy, maybe it is filthy communication, maybe it is discontentment or something else, all of them are included. Regardless of what those are, there’s grace for you to change. There’s grace for you to be victorious in the struggle over your sin.  

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age (Titus 2:11-14).

Grace covers our sin and gives us the capacity to grow. For that, we are so privileged and grateful. Aren’t you glad there’s grace for THAT?

 

Grace for Tough Circumstances

Second, there’s grace available for when you undergo tough circumstances. No matter how big the circumstances in which you find yourself are, God‘s grace is available to you in it. Not just simply available, but sufficient to allow you to endure it without sin.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Cor 10:13).

This is another great blessing and worth celebrating. God‘s grace is up to any challenge in your life. No matter how bad the suffering is, God still gives you grace and enables you to honor him in it. Aren’t you glad there’s grace for THAT?

 

Grace to Forgive

Third, there is grace to forgive. We’ve all had someone sin against us once, twice, maybe many times. In those moments, God‘s grace enables us to forgive. Jesus‘s death on the cross demonstrates a depth of love and mercy for us that is inconceivable. We recognize His love, and it motivates us to share that same love with other people.

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again (2 Cor 5:14-15).

When another person sins against us, we recognize the forgiveness that person needs is no greater than the forgiveness we personally needed from God through Christ. In other words, we have been forgiven for far more than for what we need to forgive someone else. Therefore, we apply the grace we have received from God through Christ to someone else. We forgive as we have been forgiven.

…forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Eph 4:32).

Aren’t you glad there’s grace for THAT?

 

Grace to Be Kind

Fourth, there’s grace to share kindness as we work through our day. God grants us the ability to be discerning. You observe that another person is having a rough day potentially, and the grace we received through the work of the Spirit urges us to demonstrate grace to this other person as well.

And be kind one to another… (Eph 4:32).

Therefore, we can be gracious to strangers, enemies, and friends. In fact, we do not have to know what the circumstances of the other person’s life is in order to be kind. Our kindness comes from within as we have received the grace of Jesus Christ.

This kind of grace makes the world a better place. This grace gets shared with a stranger on the sidewalk, a cashier at the store, a worker in the drive-thru, a driver on the road, and a million other people as you engage them throughout the day.

Aren’t you glad there’s grace for THAT?

 

Grace to Be Tenderhearted

Fifth, there is grace that encourages us to have a tender heart toward others in need. God reach down and had a tender heart toward us when we were in need, which is grace. When we see other people in need, we also want to move or be moved by them in grace.

And be… tenderhearted, … (Eph 4:32).

The tenderheartedness we have received from the Lord is the same kind of tenderheartedness we want to share as we look at others.

What about the person who has sinned? Tenderhearted.

What about the person who is caught in sin? Tenderhearted.

What about the perpetually grumpy person? Tenderhearted.

What about the person who does not have what we have? Tenderhearted.

What about the person who has what we want? Tenderhearted.

Here is the reality, regardless of the person, you do not know what is going on in the other person’s life, heart, or circumstances. You do not know the other person’s pressures. It is easy to look at the other person and think you know; however, you simply do not. Therefore, the grace of God in Christ compels us to be tenderhearted toward that other person.

Aren’t you glad there’s grace for THAT?

 

Grace to Be Like Christ

Friends, aren’t we glad there’s grace for THAT?!

Each one of us need grace. Each one of us through Christ and many times through His people in the body of Christ have received or experienced grace. As recipients of His grace, God desires for us to be conduits of that grace to others around us.

It all begins with humility. Humility recognizes that you were in far more need of grace than anyone else you know. Thankfully, Jesus provided that grace to you. The greatest demonstration of grace in all human history is when Jesus died on the cross. Not only did you nor I deserve that grace; rather, we deserved the exact opposite. Our sin demanded justice; yet, God provided mercy and grace.

That, my friend, is the kind of grace that motivates us to love God supremely and love others sincerely. The grace we have received is the grace we are privileged, commanded, and compelled to give.

Aren’t we glad there’s grace for THAT?! Yes and amen.