High Octane Grace

2 Corinthians 4:15 (NIV)  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

            Before Thanksgiving I heard a preacher use an illustration about fuel for a sermon he was preaching about generosity. I liked the illustration so much that I used it this past Sunday, albeit in a different way. In his message his point was that just like a large plane needs the right fuel in sufficient quantities, generosity needs the right fuel. Batteries will not power jet engines. They require the necessary fuel: jet fuel. When we depend upon guilt or a desire to make an impression or an immediate reward from God to motivate us to be generous, we will always end up disappointed. These are not good fuel for generosity: none will “get us off the ground” when it comes to God’s purposes and plan, and our joy. Using 2 Corinthians 8:7 – “But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” – he showed how the only fuel for generosity that worked in a godly way was grace.

            In my message Sunday I suggested the grace is a powerful fuel for gratitude. We saw in 1 Corinthians 4:7 that all that we possess and all that we are… are things that that we have only received. God’s grace – in giving us all things – when we understand it, becomes fuel – powerful fuel – for giving thanks.

            The more I think about this the more I realize that grace is the fuel for many – if not all – things spiritual,  and all things that make us like Christ. The deeper, higher, and wider our personal experience of grace is… then the greater our capacity for forgiveness, for love, for praise, for worship, for endurance of suffering and hardship, for example. We are called upon to do many acts of service – to care for our neighbors and to minister to those in need – and there are many. You’ll see some referenced in this check-in. Grace is the best fuel for serving others. We can easily be overwhelmed if we depend on our own strength, wisdom, and resources to motivate us. How many of us have felt the difficulty of forgiving another? How many of us have struggled with pain or suffering? How often do we act with impatience and a lack of mercy? How can we cope? How can we do more than cope… how can we thrive in Christ? By “filling up” on the right fuel – the fuel of God’s grace. Just like AA batteries will never get a 747 off the ground, any other source of spiritual fuel we look to will fail us. Duty, tradition, fear, feeling guilty, working hard (personal achievement or attainment), keeping a spouse off my back, wanting people to like me… all such motivations are mere batteries. True power for the things of God comes from the right fuel source; the fuel of grace.

            And the reservoir of God’s grace is vast. It is great enough to equip us for the hardest of things and the longest of time frames. It will transform our motivations, the depth of our sincerity, and form us in Christ’s likeness. God’s grace is the source of our power, and it never dries up. Unlike all the fuel resources of our planet (which are finite), God’s grace is available in infinite supply. His grace cannot be emptied or exhausted. There is never a shortage. Whenever and wherever the need, go to God’s grace. It will always be (more than) sufficient for whatever God calls you to or expects from you.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Ephesians 3:7 (NIV)  I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power.

2 Timothy 2:1 (NIV)  You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

John 1:14 (NIV)  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

PRAYER:  Lord God, let your grace be upon me, and let it fuel my love for you and for others. May it truly transform my heart, my motives, my attitude, and my desires. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott