“Why is the message of grace so important to you and how does it play out in everyday life for the East-West team around the world?”
I attempted to answer this question a couple weeks ago on a mountainside in Southeast Asia. Since then, I’ve been thinking about the amazing understanding of God’s unconditional, unmerited, and undeserved love for those who’ve said “yes” to Jesus.
To understand “God’s grace,” we have to build on the word “undeserved.” When we understand that God does not owe us anything—not even our next breath—everything in our lives must be embraced as a gift from God.
Because of God’s grace, everything we have is because of His goodness to us—believers and unbelievers—not because of anything we’ve done.
Believers know of God’s goodness, but unbelievers don’t. The Apostle Paul makes this distinction clear when he writes the following:
“For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” -1 Corinthians 4:7
Paul furthers this attitude when he speaks about himself and what God has done through him by stating, “I am what I am by the grace of God” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Many people put their own efforts up front because they think they’ve earned what they have. The truth is that everything they have is a gift of grace from their loving Father. Let’s look at a few common thoughts:
- I worked hard to get where I am. But where did you get the motivation to work hard? It’s a gift from God.
- I applied my intelligence and thought through all the issues. But where did you get your smarts? It’s a gift from God.
- I cultivated my natural talent. But where did you get the talent? It’s a gift from God.
The reason this is so difficult to embrace—especially emotionally—is because our human perspective tells us that blessings and gifts must be earned. The American Dream is given to those who “earn it.”
This type of thinking is given to us from the day we were born, and it is difficult to overcome it when we enter the realm of God’s grace.
Remember, God doesn’t owe us our next breath, and whatever we have is received from our Creator. Scripture does say “to whom much is given, much is required,” but earning is contrary to grace (Luke 12:48).
The Bible is clear that we are what we are by the grace of God, and that His grace is sufficient in our weakness (1 Corinthians 15:10, 2 Corinthians 12:9).
And the Bible also points to personal responsibility because “without faith, it’s impossible to please God . . . He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:8).
We have everything we need to honor God in all we do. Do we honor Him perfectly? No! Which is why we need a Savior as we learn and grow in making Jesus Lord in every area of our lives. Going deep with Him is our first priority.
My trip to Southeast Asia was great and I am grateful for the reminder of God’s undeserved gift of grace. My main “take away” is that the Jesus there is the same Jesus in Dallas, Texas and He wants us to obey what He asks of us.
We have a great Savior … go tell someone.