"How Are You Doing With Grace?"

January 16, 2025 | By Chuck

  I know you want grace, and I know you need grace. I know that because I am right there with you. I desperately want grace from God and others; and honestly, I need grace from God and others. Our church theme for last year was grace. I preached more lessons in 2024 on grace than I ever have in a calendar year before. It seemed every time we turned around last year there was another lesson on grace. I am not complaining because I love grace and you and I need it so desperately.

            My question is how are you doing with grace? Let me be more specific. How are you doing when it comes to giving and extending grace to others? Are you willing to give grace to others by giving them the benefit of the doubt? Or, are you quick to think the worst of others and become critical and harsh with them? Things will not always go your way and people will not always say and do what you think they should. When that happens, do you extend grace or the cold hard silent treatment?

            We are recipients of God’s grace; therefore, we should be constant extensions of His amazing grace to others. Jonah wanted God’s grace for himself, but not for the people of Nineveh whom he did not like. That is not at all how God expects us to act. When grace is needed, no matter the context, Christians should be willing to give it. Grace is trying to understand another's perspective. Grace is being kind to the hurting. Grace is giving forgiveness even when you are mad and don’t want to.

            I hope God’s grace has so impacted your daily life that you cannot help but extend grace to others. It is so easy to be critical, harsh, unkind, and unforgiving, but it is much more beneficial for all to give grace. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) How are you doing with grace?