I’m at a bit of a loss. Not for words, some might say that’s impossible. I’m at a bit of a loss when it comes to grace. I understand that we are saved by grace; that there is nothing I can do to earn the eternal life, which I get to live right now. Paul says in Ephesians:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
I understand the saving nature of grace but I don’t necessarily know what embracing that grace looks like on a day-to-day basis. What does it mean to practically live under grace?
How should grace affect my work?
How should grace affect my relationships?
How should grace affect my life with God?
I don’t know what grace looks like when put into practice. All I can think about when looking at practically applying grace is what Paul says in Romans:
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?
I don’t think that’s what it means to practically live under grace; embracing sin so we can better embrace grace. But again, I’m not entirely sure what it does look like to live under grace.
I’m really just looking to hear what you have to say and stir up a bit of a conversation. You can leave comments below, even if you don’t have a Google account. Just post your comment as an anonymous user and you can just leave your name if you’d like.
What does it mean to live under God’s grace on a day-to-day basis?
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My latest tattoo idea is "It is finished" in olde english script across my shoulders. I think of that a lot when I think about grace and how it forms the way I work and do school and relationships. The more I remember and dwell on Jesus' death and am MOVED by that (like weeping, disturbed, can't not think about it moved), the more I understand grace and how to live in it; my work is insignificant in the sense that it cannot accomplish what He has already accomplished. But that does not make me work less; just different. My life is an offering but I'm no spotless lamb; I submit to Jesus and to others and let Him be that offering. My 'work' is the work of admitting Christ is Lord and sitting peacefully in the fact that my work is the kind that needs quotations around it.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't sound practical yet, but I'm working on it. The ideas of submission and "It is finished" are ideas that have been rolling around in my head for a while now. The more I meditate on those the more rest I seem to have with God and I think that is helping me live in grace to a greater degree.
How I have made sense of Living under Grace is that I try to daily choose to live in the freedom that how God made me is how he made me and I'm not going to argue with it. Where the grace comes in is that I choose also to leave behind the negative messages that I have believed about myself as a result of my fallenness and instead live with the knowledge that God's grace has it covered. When I actually do this it frees me ~ the fetters are removed and I can operate as God intends and I find that in this state I do a whole lot more good for the kingdom. In contrast when I choose to bring the baggage with me or believe the negative messages I act in ways that are counterproductive and my work is stifled. I would have hoped that by midlife I would have gotten better and not need to choose this daily but unfortunately it's still a daily choice. I also think that's part of the meaning of "taking up the cross" ~ to daily bear the grace and forgiveness given for us on the cross ~ to live under it, not as a weight but as an umbrella shielding me from those things that could weigh me down.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the probing thoughts Scott ~
Dave Palmer