Grace and Power

2 Tim. 2:1

You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Act 4:33

With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them.

Act 6:8

Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

2Co 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”

Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me.

Eph 3:7

I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the working of his power.

There is holy power associated with grace! What is this power?

Take some time to think about every aspect of evil, especially your own weaknesses, character defects, besetting sins that you cannot, no matter how hard you try, overcome. [Remember, 1Jo 1:8

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”]

Place it all together---all evil, all darkness, everything you are in denial about or don't want people to know about you, all worry, all oppression—and envision it as darkness that you are pushing down into a corner of your soul. But it continues to invade your heart and mind. Like viruses and bacteria, it continues to infect, penetrate, and drain your life and make you sick with shame or guilt or fear.

See this darkness. See it clearly.

Now see the Light of God's Grace shining through Jesus Christ; shining from above down into that darkness and driving it farther and farther away—as the East from the West; making you clean and free and pure as the spirit of Christ Himself—His righteousness being imparted to you by God—cleansing you from all unrighteousness. Allow yourself to inwardly experience this cleansing Grace on every level of your being. This is not denial. This is not rationalizing. This is God's unspeakable Love manifesting through His Grace offered through faith in Jesus Christ!

Now notice that there is no condemnation. God is not condemning you. You must not condemn yourself, nor receive condemnation from any human. This grace penetrates down deep where the shame of your life's litany of failures has pooled like toxic waste in the bottom of your soul. A miracle transforms that waste into healthy soil in which the seeds of Truth and Grace take root and grow quickly, producing the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in you: Peace, Love, Joy…. No man can condemn you! You are free! Free to love with the Love of Christ!

It is only God's Grace that frees us from the power of sin: No herculean marathon of good deeds. And no massive wall of denial can ever extricate us from what is being denied. Only this Light of Grace can penetrate and drive away that darkness.

Paradoxically, we discover that, when liberated from denial and shame, we can love better! The draining energy of shame, guilt, and fear is transformed into peace, gratitude, and love. And since we do not want our testimony to be blotted by our character defects, we ask Him to purify us from our besetting sins. We do not want to be hypocrites. We continue to confess our sins before God and mature others, but we do not live in condemnation or shame. We live in forgiveness and Grace. We accept the righteousness of Christ, even though we are sinners. Others in the world may seem freer than us in their denial, but we do not see their inner soul. We must not compare ourselves to the unredeemed—or to anyone for that matter. We must simply abide in Christ and in the Truth that He reveals to us in His infinite Love for His creation and all humankind. In Christ we have the power to be the sons and daughters of God—His children, in whom He is well pleased!

Gal 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.