But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. I Corinthians 15:10
REFERENCE
I Corinthians 15:9-10
Grace is a divine enablement from God to achieve what we ordinarily cannot in our strength. The supernatural factor causes our life’s results to surpass our human efforts. It doesn’t negate labor/effort like Apostle Paul pointed out in our text; instead, it reduces ‘wearisome’ labor and multiplies the outcome of our efforts.
God’s grace will often separate a believer from an unbeliever. They can do the same things in the same way; however, the believer who has learned to key into God’s grace will get a better result because of God’s divine enablement. Suppose all you ever experience as a believer is sickness, lack, depression, failures, discouragement, getting only what your income can afford, or getting only what you qualify for, just like someone who doesn’t know Christ. In that case, your Christian testimony will essentially be unattractive. If nothing distinguishes you from the heathen, then serving God is meaningless.
God, speaking in Malachi 3:17-18 says that the godly are His treasured possessions, and He will spare them and make a clear distinction between them and the ungodly. It shows that the believer has advantages the unbeliever can’t boast of because of God’s support. Thus, as a believer, you should expect to ride on the wings of God’s grace, where you get things you don’t deserve, get things money can’t buy, or have items you can’t afford to be given to you supernaturally. Grace will open doors you have no keys to, bring you into companies you feel unqualified for, and take you to places none in your lineage has been.
Again, the grace of God doesn’t mean we should be lazy and not do anything but expect results. Instead, it means that God’s power and blessings are released upon whatever we do. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved, THROUGH FAITH…” An expectant faith in God and His word activates this grace. So, when we give, we should expect to reap bountiful harvests because of this grace. We should expect to be promoted in our jobs as we put in diligent service. We should expect to receive customers when we open our shop for business. And because of this grace, we should expect to do well in our relationships and other aspects of our lives.
Refuse to define the height you can attain by your natural abilities but by God’s enabling power in you.
PHOTO QUOTE
ADDITIONAL STUDY
Esther 2:1-18, John 5:1-9, & II Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
CONFESSION I declare that the grace of God is sufficient for me; therefore, by faith, I receive strength for my inadequacies. I ride on the wings of God’s grace, so whatever I do with my natural abilities gives me supernatural results that will be beyond my capabilities in Jesus’ name.
