And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. -Matthew 18:2-5 (KJV)
Have you ever considered how radical Jesus’ teachings actually are? Have you thought of how radical they were in His day? For the Lord to speak of such topic as loving our enemies, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and forgiving even those who hate us was an absolute going against the standards of the time. Those teachings remain at variance with the world even today. Down through ages mankind has always strived for mastery; over himself and those around him. From this standpoint come hatred, murder, violence, and war. Jesus came along and taught that God has a better and nobler way. The problem is the world simply doesn’t understand such love and grace.
The world continues to misunderstand the marvelous and wonderful grace of God. When grace is shown in its purest form people will often be left scratching their heads bewilderment. People do the same when confronted with the grace of God. God’s grace is showing us love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness when we have done nothing to deserve it. In fact, we did the opposite. Yet God loved and forgave us anyway. Here we see the grace of God. Someone has said grace can be seen in the following acronym: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
When we show people the grace of God functioning in us they may scratch their heads in wonder, yet they will also see the love of Jesus Christ flowing from our lives. Grace leads to peace, which brings spiritual power, which leads to a vibrant and effective witness for Jesus. The grace of God having been experienced in Christ compels us to want to share it with others. We begin to live out God’s grace in every aspect of our lives. “Here, let me help you with that;” “I’m sorry, you were right and I was in the wrong;” “No, I don’t want anything in return.” “It’s no problem, I am glad to help.”
The ways in which we live out the grace of God are endless. We are called to reach out in Jesus' name every day as we shine His light to a lost and hurting world. We in turn have peace which passes all understanding as we face the trials of life and the problems which are sure to confront us. Walking in grace is walking in spiritual power.
Someone you encounter today will need to see the grace Jesus brings. Will you show them?
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