Pointing to Jesus

Titus 2:11–14– For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself up for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

When we think of grace, a lot of people think of undeserved favor and blessings. It does mean that. It also means kindness or a gift. We were saved by grace through faith. Ephesians 2:8,9- “For by grace you have been saved through faith, not of yourselves lest anyone should boast.” We did nothing to earn or deserve salvation. It is a gift. I’m so grateful for the free gift of salvation. To only think of grace in this way is incomplete because grace is so much more.

Grace is also power over sin or the power not to sin. When grace is fully working in our lives, we are saved and have power not to sin. Grace is not only the power that saved us, it’s also the power to keep us saved by living a righteous life. Just like the power of salvation that we didn’t get on our own, the power over sin is not something we can do on our own either-it is the work of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. The more yielded we are to the Holy Spirit, the easier it is going to be to have victory over sin and live a holy and righteous life. Of course, we will never be sinless, but we will sin less and less.

Romans 5:21-22- Now the law came to increase the trespass, but where sin increased grace abounded all the more, so that as sin reigned in death, grace might also reign through righteousness, leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Think of the Easter story. Jesus’s death on the cross is the grace that gives us salvation. But the story is not complete without the resurrection, which is the power that the resurrection gives us over the sin and temptation that can cause spiritual death. It is not a complete story without both the death and resurrection.

Miriam Webster definess grace as “unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification; a state enjoyed by divine assistance.” That assistance is the Holy Spirit. He is our helper.

How do we tap into this power? We read and study the Bible – not just to get more knowledge but so that we can be a doer of the Word. As you read and study, see Jesus walking and talking through every single page and every story. Apply the principles and commands from the Bible to our lives. Surrender our lives to God. Yield to the Holy Spirit. As we do this, we will see the complete work of grace in our lives.

Many blessings,

Desiree