Amazed by Grace

Amazed By Grace: Every failure can be replaced by His faithfulness and favor.

As believers, we have such a great privilege to bring all of our cares before God’s “throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16). Yet why do so many people allow guilt and shame to keep them from approaching God with their needs?

The Bible makes it clear that God can forgive us and restore us after we’ve fallen in our faith. As we acknowledge our sins and receive Jesus as your Savior, your sins are forgiven, and we are now free to live our lives in His goodness and mercy!

Take a good look at Paul’s life, and you’ll see a good example of this. Before his conversion, the apostle Paul was a persecutor of Christians. When he looked back on his life before Christ, he described himself as the “foremost” or “chief” of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15 NASB/NKJV). However, instead of wallowing in his past sins and failures, Paul boldly declared in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”

However, even though the Bible says we have become “the righteousness of God” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), there is something that often gets in the way of our full restoration: We struggle to forgive ourselves!

Do you see how silly that is? The holy God who created the universe declares us NOT GUILTY because of the blood of His Son, but we feel as if we are still under God’s judgment!

Peter seems to have felt this same way at one point. After he denied the Lord, Peter was horrified by what he had done. His old self-reliance was gone, but now the pendulum had swung completely to the other extreme: He didn’t think Jesus could ever forgive him and use him again.

John 21 tells the story of Peter trying to return to his previous life as a fisherman. Reading between the lines, he seems to have figured his days in ministry were over. Instead of moving forward in the purposes of God, he determined that the best thing to do was simply to go back.

Yet Jesus had called Peter to a higher mission than his old life as a fisherman. He was called to be a “fisher of men” (Matthew 4:19). In a gentle and loving way, Jesus appeared to Peter in John 21 and gave him another miracle catch of fish (as happened earlier in Luke 5:1–11). Not only that, but Jesus also went on to recommission him for ministry: “Feed My sheep” (John 21:17)!

If you have failed or fallen in some way, you need to hear Jesus’ voice of forgiveness and restoration today. Can you see His desire to give you a new beginning and bless you again with His grace and favor? Do you hear His loving heartbeat to restore you to fruitful service in His Kingdom?

The ironic thing about Peter’s failure is that it actually was a necessary part of his future success. Why? Because the old, arrogant, self-reliant Peter wasn’t really usable by God! It wasn’t until Peter was broken that he could truly understand his need for full reliance on God’s grace and power.

The good news is that Jesus didn’t allow Peter to stay in a place of defeat and failure. After Peter’s denial, He discovered God’s grace in a new way. And on the Day of Pentecost, he became the “fisher of men” that Jesus had called him to be—and 3,000 people were saved as a result (Acts 2).

Perhaps you are struggling today with a stranglehold in some area of your life. If so, the story of Peter can be a powerful message to you. By God’s amazing grace, a new beginning is possible. Your failures don’t have to be final. Every failure can be replaced by His faithfulness and favor.

Go Ahead…Ask!

No matter your circumstances today, I pray for an outflow of His grace on your life in every way. Our Lord is never caught off guard when we go through life’s trials. He has already provided everything that we need to overcome. This is why the Bible says we can “rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4). His grace gives us the power to live a life of blessings and joy.

Although He freely gives good gifts, it’s your choice whether to ask Him for His help in the first place. He will give you the power to overcome if you humble yourself and approach His throne room in faith. Nothing you can ever do in your own strength can ever come close to what God can do through His amazing power.

Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (NIV).

And just as you’re saved through grace, you can also live your life in that same grace.

It’s God’s plan for you! All you have to do is accept His presence and ask for His help in your time of need.

Obey and Trust

If you trust Him and do what He tells you to do, He will demonstrate His power in your life. If you believe in His Word and obey His instructions, He will pour out so much grace that you will hardly be able to contain it.

Remember, your troubling times are merely temporary—they won’t last forever. Even when the firestorms of life seem unbearable, you must not give up. Just as God delivered the three, young, Hebrew men from the fiery furnace, He will also rescue you in your time of need (Daniel 3).

The Word declares that even the fiercest trials can have a beneficial outcome: “May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).

Be patient and persevere, my friend! Divine help is on the way. God is committed to working all things for your good—constantly guiding, strengthening, and molding you into the likeness of Jesus (Romans 8:28–29).

Most importantly, give thanks to the Lord for providing an open window for grace in your life. He will always give you enough grace for today to fulfill His plans and purposes.

Enjoy His blessings. Enjoy His peace. And never forget: You can trust Him with your hurts and frustrations. While you may pass through some dark valleys along the way, your Heavenly Father wants you to have a joyful, peace-filled life.

 

God bless you!