Title: Those Who Receive Grace
Contents
♡♥♡ People who receive grace
***Introduction
One of the words we use well in our religious life is the word ‘grace’. What do you consider to be 'grace'? Usually, all things prosper, prayers answered, health, and well-being are thought of as grace.
Remember, the more your flesh suffers, the more sin loses its power.”
God Himself guides the lives of all saved believers who depend on Him. This is the greatest grace that saints enjoy in the world. That is why the Holy Spirit who is with us is called the “Counselor,” that is, “the God who helps, defends, and comforts the saints.” The Lord speaks of the Comforter in John 14:16-17. “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may be with you forever, who is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, because he dwells with you and will be in you.”
However, this great grace of God is not unconditionally given to anyone. It is given to those who trust in God and know grace as grace. I hope that through the text of this time, we can reflect on these facts and fit our lives in place.
1. God's grace is limited in the subject.
The text gives examples of two men who received God's grace in the days of Elijah the prophet and Elisha. In the days of the prophet Elijah, King Ahab and the Israelites turned away from God and worshiped idols. Because of this, God did not give rain for three years and six months. The whole land was in famine due to drought, and food became scarce. There were many widows in need at this time, but the only one who received God's favor was a widow in Zarephath.
This widow met Elijah at a desperate time when she had to bake bread from the last handful of flour and eat it with her only son, and after that, she had to wait for her death. Elijah asked for the last piece of bread. The widow offered the bread without hesitation, and after that, the flour jar did not run out until food was available, and the oil in the oil jar did not dry out.
In the days of Elisha, the successor of the prophet Elijah, General Naaman of Syria, a pagan country, received God's grace. He was a leper, and he believed the words of the young maidservant from Israel in his household and came to the prophet Elisha. There were many lepers in Israel, but only General Naaman, a Gentile at that time, was healed by grace.
As such, God's grace is not given to anyone. God's grace itself is never limited. However, it is limited by the attitude of the recipient's heart.
The Amazon River through Brazil is the largest in the world. Because it is 70,000 square kilometres, the hills on either side of the river are not visible, so the first time you see it, you will mistake it for the sea.
A ship that had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean for a long time had barely reached the river to find drinking water. On the chart it was clear that it was time to reach the estuary of the Amazon, and the hills of the river were still not visible. Just then, I saw another boat coming from the front. The sailor shouted at the other ship. “I’m looking for drinking water, which way is the Amazon River?” Then a shout came back from the boat over there. “You are already in the middle of the Amazon River. Just bring down the water bottle.”
Believers in Jesus Christ are already in the midst of grace. God has opened all things to those who are in Jesus Christ. All we need to do is pour down the bucket of faith. God's grace is contained in those who believe in God and pour down the water bottle of faith.
2. God's grace is limited in sheep.
It was said earlier that God's grace is never limited, but now, what does it mean to be 'limited in the amount of grace'? Again, God's grace to the saints is never exhausted or limited. The word restrictive here means ‘as necessary and appropriate’. God's grace is not given in infinite abundance. It is given according to the needs of the saints within the will of God.
For example, when the Israelites were living in the wilderness, God gave them manna as food. For six days except for this manna Sabbath, every morning, according to the number of members in each household, he made them gather as much food as they needed for that day. However, some people collected more and kept it. However, as the day passed, worms began to appear and they could not eat it. But he did not give manna on the Sabbath. Instead, on the eve of the Sabbath, he allowed a double harvest. On weekdays, if more than one day passed, worms would appear and it would be impossible to eat, but on the Sabbath, there were no worms on the Sabbath. In addition, there were no shortages or surpluses of those who gathered as if they were a little lacking in the number of members of the family or those who had abundantly. Exodus 16:18. “In the omer, he who gathered much did not have any surplus, and he who gathered little did not lack anything, and each one gathered according to their provisions.”
When the Israelites entered Canaan and ate the food that was grown there, the manna that had rained for 40 years ceased. He also gave the widow of Sarepta the amount of flour and oil they needed, and it stopped when the drought was relieved.
God's grace doesn't let it go and be thrown away like a cheap bastard. Jesus did not let the pieces of bread left over from the miracle of feeding the 5,000 or the miracle of feeding the 4,000 not to be thrown away. God's grace is not cheap, it's the price that God gave your life. Therefore, God's grace is best given to each of the saints. In other words, it is limited when the saints use God's grace in vain or do not give thanks. That is why the Apostle Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 6:1, “Do not receive the grace of God in vain.”
The reason for doing this is so that the saints can depend on God every day, every moment, and live. Just as we cannot eat food for several days at once, neither can God's grace live for several days after praying once, attending church once, and doing a good deed once. The saints can enjoy abundant life and grace only when they walk with the Lord every moment of every day and depend on the Lord. It is the grace of God that He fills us with our time, wealth, health, and abilities as we need them.
Let's all trust God and live a life of faith so that we can always enjoy God's grace. For this reason, I pray that God's grace will fill the needs of the saints wherever they stay.