The Devotional – Grace and Faith
Comment: Performance; if I am looking to perform
a task and to perform it well I would have to train for it. Daily training is
sufficient, but performing any act or task will not result in perfection;
should it? The actor strives for a perfect performance, the athlete trains for
a perfect ten, the doctor practices for a perfect operation and the criminal
seeks to accomplish the perfect crime. Performance, performance, performance!
Humanly we wake up every morning seeking to have a utopia day and everyone from
a child to an adult is ashamed when they fumble. If I am an actor, when the act
is over I know where I have errored, maybe the audience does not. Those
watching the athlete see less than the perfect ten, the doctor; remember is
just practicing and crime does not pay. How does all of this human activity of
seeking to do good, fit in the Grace Plan of God? It does not FIT at all. Human
works, fail the grace of God.
Devotional: The apostle Paul under the power and
influence of God the Holy Spirit authored thirteen epistles to the universal
church of his day. Was he humanly striving to be perfect in his humanity to accomplish
this. NO, no not at all; Romans 1:5
Through Him (Jesus) we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the
faith among all nations for His name.
Acts 20:17-24: By obedience to the faith in the
gospel of God the apostle Paul exhorted the Ephesians elders concerning his
service to the LORD. He kept nothing back, but proclaimed and taught publicly,
he testified to both the Jew and the Greek of this truth… “return to God and
have faith toward the LORD Jesus Christ.” The Holy Spirit also bore witness to
Paul that chains and tribulation awaited him should he return to Jerusalem. In
this warning Paul was not moved to change his mind. Why? Because the apostle
knew his physical life was not what he held dear to him. His joy and purpose in
life was to testify of that which he received from the LORD Jesus, Paul
received by faith (believed)… the gospel of the Grace of God.
The apostle
Paul had access to serve God by God’s gift of grace through Paul’s obedience to
faith, thus he had this testimony? Romans 5:2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. In this, human obedient
faith meets the perfect grace of God, or as the apostle says later in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have
been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”.
Therefore, the Plan
of God for all people is Perfect grace through obedient faith; faith is the substance of things hoped
for, resulting in evidence of things that are not acquired by human perfection.
Since salvation is not acquired by human effort (perfection) it is evident that
salvation is a result of God’s perfection. Hebrews
11:1-3. The acquisition of God’s grace is first to have faith in Jesus
Christ and then as we begin by faith in Him we continue in faith as the apostle
Paul establishes in 2 Corinthians 8:6-7 But as you abound in
everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your
love for us--see that you abound in this grace also. The grace/faith WAY is the
only way to please God – Hebrews 11:6.
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