Strengthened by Graceਨਮੂਨਾ

The Power of God’s Grace

What is grace? Grace is God’s merciful, lovingkindness to those who deserve His wrath and punishment. God’s grace takes the initiative not only to call, but also to strengthen and equip us to follow. Grace initiates and accomplishes all.

Nothing but God’s grace can carry us through the task that lies ahead and the suffering we will need to endure, but His grace is more than enough (adapted from 2 Tm. 1).

God’s grace had empowered Paul in body, mind, spirit, and soul. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul gives glory to the Lord, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor. 15:10 ESV). Then, in his second letter, he says God would do the same for them, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Cor. 9:8 ESV).

Timothy has been given this grace. God gave Timothy his grace to instruct not just any men, but faithful men. The faithful and the unfaithful stand in stark contrast. They can look similar outwardly, but the heat of persecution and difficulty reveals true faith and character.

Faithful believers seek to know Christ intimately by God’s grace. Timothy must look for these followers—those convinced that to know Christ is to love Christ—to know God and His love is the highest and purest form of knowledge (Rom. 11:33, Eph. 3:14-19). Knowledge that extends well beyond facts, figures, rules, and regulations. It is relational, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual intimacy. It is in truly knowing Christ that we will follow Him wherever He leads and willingly share in His suffering. He alone is the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Lamb of God. It is when we are fully convinced that He is Immanuel, God with us, who came, lived, died, and rose again that we will know Him and live for Him. The One who “is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3 ESV). Alleluia. May God be glorified!