CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 977

 “Visible Grace”

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people… Titus 2:11

The early church heard reports from Antioch of great numbers of people coming to salvation through Jesus Christ. This caused the church leaders in Jerusalem to send Barnabas to investigate. The bible tells us that when he arrived he saw or witnessed the grace of God. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad… (Acts 11:23)

It is true that it is by the grace of God that we are saved. Grace is a free, unmerited gift of God. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8)

But what does grace look like? What did Barnabas witness when he arrived in Antioch? How does one see grace? The answer to what grace looks like lies in discovering what grace does in us and through us. Grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and to allow the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit to manifest itself in our daily lives. For the grace of God has appeared… training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age… (Titus 2:12)

Grace empowers us to repent and turn away from the ungodly lusts of our flesh. Grace brings us under the headship of Jesus and away from under the headship of Adam – our old nature. God’s grace empowers us to say ‘No’ to what we know to be sin for us. God’s grace brings a hunger in the very core of our being for the abiding presence of God. Grace causes us to desire purity and to be holy as God is holy.

Grace not only strengthens us to overcome temptation, but also fear and worry. Grace brings peace in the midst of the storms of life. Our day to day reactions to life circumstances visibly testify to the grace of God. Grace also empowers us to forgive and to overlook offenses. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14)

In April 1999 testimony was given at a ministry conference in Dallas by two mothers who found the grace to forgive the men who murdered their daughters. Why is it then that we find it so difficult to forgive others for minor hurts and offenses? Why do husbands and wives allow the little things said or done to get ‘under their skin’ and become a root of bitterness that robs their home of peace?

If Barnabas were to follow you around for a day, week, or month would he rejoice in seeing the grace of God manifested in your life? As Christians we have all received grace upon grace through Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ, God expects us to freely give grace to others.

May you be an ambassador for Christ in this dark world in accordance with the grace given to you and allow His grace to be poured out to others. May God’s grace be evident in your daily walk and talk.