Growing in Grace

 

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.  Titus 2:11-14

 Change is hard, and we typically resist it. Many people who hear about Jesus see that life with Him will be different, and that change is intimidating. Being “godly” may not look like very much fun from the outside. Having to shift behaviors and patterns, to break addictions and make different choices is overwhelming. But here’s the good news, you don’t have to do any of that in order to come to Jesus, and He doesn’t expect any of that to be done in your own power!

 Jesus created us. He knows us inside and out. He knows what makes us tick. He knows our hang-ups and our addictions. He knows what we’re capable of, and He doesn’t expect anything from us that we can’t do, at least not without His help. I love how Paul writes in today’s verses, “It [the grace of God] trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,” [Tit 2:12 NET]. Paul doesn’t say that we must live this way in order to come to Christ. He doesn’t say that when we do come to Christ all of these things will instantly change in us. No, he says that the grace of God will train us. Through patience and experience we will come to see that living godly lives is actually beneficial and pleasing. We will become eager to do good!

 Do you know someone who has been walking with Jesus for a long time and they seem to have it all together? They are faithful prayer warriors, passionate Bible studiers, and are always helping others and living lives of grace and hope. As I write this, several faces come to mind of dear friends who have inspired me over the years. But none of these people got where they are in a day. I know much of their backstories and they are littered with sin and pain, just like mine. This whole process of God working in our hearts, changing and growing us into a people He can be proud of, is called sanctification. Webster explains it this way:

SANCTIFICA'TION, noun [See Sanctify.]

1. The act of making holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God.

 Have you noticed that this is all done by God’s grace? Grace, or free, unmerited favor, frees us from sin. It breaks the bonds of addiction. It separates us from what is holding us down, even if that means peeling our fingers open as we grasp onto it one at a time. Once we are freed from earthly entanglements we can be, as Webster says, “exalted to a supreme love to God.” No longer bound by the weight of sin, caught up in its snares, our eyes are drawn heavenward to our redeemer, the One who set us free. In gratefulness we dedicate our lives to Him. We find joy in pleasing Him and that pleasure entices us to more and more good. We become eager to do what is good because it makes us happy to make God happy. Doing good things feels good and the more we do them, the more we want to do them. That’s what breaks us away from our old lives and changes our behavior, not will power, sheer enjoyment.

Here's the Thing: None of this would be possible on our own. It is the power of the Spirit of God at work in us to will and act according to His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). We are not expected, nor held accountable, for doing this in our own power and strength. Praise God!