The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14
The prayer above is one that has become a regular service-closing chant for many Christians. It is a deep prayer. Perhaps, one of the deepest in the Bible as it combines the workings of the trinity and an understanding of how critical it is to have a relationship with God – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We should pray this prayer more, and with better understanding.
My purpose today is to focus on the first section of the prayer – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, as written by Paul in Philippians 4:23 and many other scriptures. What is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and how did it manifest? What type of life did Jesus live because of the grace that was upon Him? How can I as a Christian live a grace-full life like Jesus did? It is my belief that this topic is so broad its explanation can easily fill a book. So, I will only attempt a summary here.
The chief grace of the Lord Jesus Christ when He lived as a human being was that He had the approval of heaven. He was on a divinely ordained mission for God His Father. Hence, His ministry formally commenced after the baptism by John at the River Jordan, with an open heaven and commendation from God. “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”.
There is absolutely nothing more important than having the endorsement of heaven. A person who has an open heaven over his or her life has all things in place. If God is pleased with you, all is well with you. The ultimate goal of every person should be to live God’s purpose here on earth and enjoy the benefits that come with being a beloved in whom the Almighty is well pleased.
Jesus manifested the grace of God by living an extraordinarily impactful life. His total time on earth was thirty-three years, and of these, only three and a half was used in fulltime ministry but His was the most fulfilled of all lives. Read the gospels – Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, and you would be enthralled by the Master’s itinerary. Jesus’ life teaches us that impact not longevity is the essence of life. It tells us that lives touched/changed are the indices of true impact.
You think you are busy? Check out Jesus’ schedule. Yet, He went from task to task and performed thoroughly in all. He would sometimes be on His way to rest and people will approach Him and He would stop to give them attention. A graced life is a life of unbelievable wisdom and strength. You can undertake assignments beyond your natural capacity and excel better than the experts if you connect to God – the embodiment of wisdom.
John 17, another amazing prayer (perhaps I would share my thoughts on this on another day), speaks to how we may live a life of grace. Jesus lived by grace because He was consumed with living according to God’s mandate. Relationship with God is the key to knowing His purpose and following through with it. Jesus paid attention to His relationship to His Father. Despite His busy schedule, He often found time to be alone with God.
A life lived for God’s purpose is one with unlimited access to heaven’s resources. Relationship with God is what guarantees this access. Positive impact on souls is the proof of a fulfilled live. Such was the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Selah!
09042017
Bible Inspired Thoughts (BITs) are inspirations/revelations I get from pondering on the word of God. They are thoughts that encourage/rebuke/correct/instruct me. I have a mandate to share for the benefit of others.
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