How Do You Respond To God's Grace?
God’s grace is a gift that is freely given to each of us. It is the very gift of God that allows us to be saved through Jesus Christ. The grace of God is defined as His compassion and mercy on us even when we don’t deserve it. I see marketing strategies for companies that say, “You deserve it!” The world tells us we deserve luxuries, acceptance, and the best of everything. But, do we really deserve all that? If we’re honest with ourselves, we might realize we don’t deserve everything that is given to us or the blessings that have been bestowed upon us.
When it comes to our salvation, do we deserve this grace we receive from God? In our eyes, we may think that we do not deserve it because of the sinful lives we live. We look at our faults instead of the way our Creator looks at us. No matter what we think we deserve, God loves us so much that He thinks we deserve His grace and mercy.
Receiving God’s grace can be hard enough, but our response can sometimes be even harder. Receiving and accepting the gift of grace, forgiveness, and compassion can be a struggle for a lot of us because we cannot forgive ourselves. So, when we finally get to a place where we can receive God’s grace as a gift given to us, how do we respond?
I have been known to squander the grace God has given me. I have accepted it, then turned around and forgotten how He freely gave it to me. I have accepted it, then given myself the credit for my accomplishments through it. I have accepted God’s grace, and then refused to give grace to others. And lastly, I have accepted grace from God, but then under no circumstance allow grace to myself.
Even though it is hard to receive God’s grace with an open heart, it may be even harder to respond to His grace in a way that grows us closer to Him instead of squandering it. In order to respond correctly to God’s grace, we must remember what we would be like before we received it. We were spiritually dead. Blind to the world’s evil and the corruption the enemy was playing in our lives. Our morals were selfish and we only cared about ourselves. Then as we received God’s grace a light came on. We were filled with the Holy Spirit that placed righteousness in us and a desire to seek out morality became prolific in our lives.
James 4:4-6 tells how we sometimes choose friendship with the world over our relationship with God. When that happens, we become an enemy of God. What does God do when we respond to His grace in that way, “He gives us more grace.” (James 4:6) When we squander God’s grace He gives grace, upon grace, upon grace. That is true love. That is love we cannot comprehend.
When we feel like we have messed up and allow the shame and disappointment to set in, remember God is extending us more grace. Our response is important, but when we do mess up and respond in a way we shouldn’t, we are given another chance to respond the right way.
So, how does God expect us to respond to His grace? Christians are expected to extend the grace that is given to them. We are to extend grace to others through love, forgiveness, and graciousness. Through the grace that God has given us, we are to be driven to serve others not matter the cost. God served us by dying on the cross for us and extended grace to us even before we accepted Him. We are called to serve others no matter what they may think about Christians. We are to shine Jesus’ light into the world through our response to His grace. We are called to glorify God in all we do. Is our response glorifying God? May we never forget the grace that is given freely to us, our response depends on our remembering the One who gives it.
Digging Deeper:
How have you responded to God’s grace lately?
Do you squander God’s grace by keeping it only to yourself or do you share it with others?
How do you see the gospel message as the perfect picture of God’s grace?