Despite Us,Grace

 

 

Lately, I have been keenly aware of grace.  Not only the saving grace from God through His mercy, but aware of the kind of grace that allows us to be used by God, despite us.

Despite our faults and bad habits.

Despite our lack of faith.

 Despite our weakness.

In one person, I saw how He gave incredible Bible teaching that changes lives despite decades of her unbelief of the power of His Holy Spirit. Yet, His Spirit breathed through her and brought great revelation into many lives whether she acknowledged Him fully or not.  Grace.

Another person used derogatory words over others that were behaving poorly, yet he could speak prophetic life-giving and affirming messages from the LORD of great power and good.  There was power in the God-given words from the same mouth that housed lesser words moments earlier. Grace.

One who nervously feared and doubted had incredible fulfillment in an area of leading, that when stepping back and looking at the results, it would appear that only the courageous could have done it.  Grace.

This grace is in any and every successful result of ministry no matter how big or how small.  Not a one of us carries the stuff of our own to do what God does.  Not a one is responsible for the result except that we carried what He was doing.  To be allowed to carry that good is a servant’s grace.  As a master provides for the foods that a server sets at the table, it is by that grace that one can carry such wonderful things to be received and given to bless another because of Him. 

Acts 6:8  And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.

2 Corinthians 9:8  And God [is] able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all [things], may have an abundance for every good work.

The apostle Paul saw this in himself and saw how God used him despite himself. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 

 7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-- to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.…

Walking in the awareness of this grace drops the weight of burden of believing we have to be in perfection to do any good for God. As God said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  Power perfected is the evidence of God’s grace.  It isn’t our perfection, it is His.

Where His grace falls away is in pride.  How many super-stars in the faith have come to a humbling fall? Lucifer’s own fall from God’s graces was over his pride.  I beg the LORD to keep me humble through all that He does in me and He has come up with some creative ways to do that.

The first time I was going to teach with one of those cool microphones that goes over the ear was something I was looking forward to getting to use.  Not long before I was to teach, I grew this gross looking nub on the top of my ear.  It was the very ear that the audio-visual technician carefully hooked around the microphone and ear-piece over. I had to pull my hair back as he fitted me.  He didn’t say anything about the nub, but I’m sure he was disgusted and I felt my face blush red. Embarrassed and humbled, I took the stage.  A couple of weeks later, the nub fell off.

Our first time for me and my husband to go overseas to speak and teach was a thrilling time.  Not long before we were to go, another nub grew on the top of my ear.  About a week later, my husband asked me, “What is this?” He showed me his ear and there was a nub on his.  I exclaimed, “It’s the nubbin of humility!”  I shared with him what had happened to me before and how God used it.  He laughed a little.  We went on our trip to serve, nubbins and all, and when we returned, each of ours fell off.  It’s funny and definitely not normal, but I praise God for His incredible grace and His desire to keep us humorously humble in Him. 

God is able to do all sorts of good through the imperfections that we are.  We just have to say, “Yes,” to serve, be humble in Him, and He takes care of the rest despite us.  Grace. You’ve got nothing to lose but pride and everything to gain and accomplish in Him.