GRACE IS STILL AMAZING | Northstar Church

“For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” – 2 Timothy 1:9.

Grace is a gift most of us don’t know how to receive. We’ve been so inundated with the earthly systems of give-and-get and work-and-earn that grace is a concept that seems difficult to grasp. But there is no better way to invest our time than pursuing a deeper understanding and knowledge of God’s grace.

Grace is an amazing gift. It provides us with everything we need to live in freedom: pardon for our sins, healing for our hearts, the companionship of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit, and the ability to cultivate an ongoing relationship with Him. God’s grace should motivate, energize, and empower us.

Grace is not simply leniency when we have sinned. Grace is the enabling gift and power of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon. “So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ” ( 2 Thessalonians 1:11–12)

All around us, there is evidence of God’s grace. We just have to remind ourselves what to look for. Grace is in all of these things, big and small. It is real and practical, not abstract or theoretical, and utterly undeserved. The radical beauty of grace is that it is totally unmerited and unconditional. We don’t deserve the free gift of salvation, we don’t deserve the constant help of the Holy Spirit, and we don’t deserve all of the joys and pleasures of this life. And yet, because of God’s unthinkable love for us, we get to experience all of these forms of grace and more.

We need to take some time to be deeply thankful for the saving grace of Jesus while at the same time noticing all the ways the people around us and the Holy Spirit help us every day. Let all these things point you to Jesus and remind you of grace and how amazing it is.

And then, together, we can truly appreciate the lines from Amazing Grace: “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see…”

Discussion Questions:

How can grace be summarized?
Why is it easy to believe we can earn God’s grace?