How Graceful Are You?

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

 (2 Peter 3:18)

How graceful are you?  That question may make you smile if, like me, you consider yourself anything but graceful.  We generally think of gracefulness as being smoothly coordinated.  However, if we define the word graceful as being full of grace we may arrive at definitions such as:

1) the unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor of God;

2) something for nothing at God’s expense;

3) God’s riches at Christ’s expense.

Jesus portrayed such evidence of God’s grace while He lived on Earth.  Throughout the 33 years of His earthly ministry, He dispensed unearned, undeserved favor as He fed multitudes of people and healed many who came to Him.  He said that as His disciples we are to do the same.
Various passages give reference to different types of God’s grace to mankind:

1) Saving grace requires God’s willingness to forgive us even before we ask: 

God demonstrates His love toward us, in that 

while we were still sinners, Christ died for us

 (Romans 5:8)

2) Teaching grace requires God’s willingness to share His knowledge with us:

 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all liberally 

and without reproach, and it will be given to him

 (James 1:5)

3) Serving grace requires God’s willingness to accept our giving back to Him:

 “inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” 

(Matthew 25:40)

4) Purifying grace requires God’s willingness to keep working on us, helping us improve:

The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in Me, 

these do, and the God of peace will be with you 

(Philippians 4:9)

5) Speaking/witnessing grace requires God’s willingness to use us as His messengers:

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; 

and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,

and in Judea and Samaria,and to the end of the earth 

(Acts 1:8)

We may be familiar with God’s gracefulness and the many ways He enriches our lives, but passages describing ways we are to be full of grace may well be difficult to incorporate into our dealings with others.  Honest responses to the following questions may help us determine the extent to which we have achieved gracefulness.

1) How willing am I to forgive others even before, or if they never, ask me to?
2) How willing am I to share my knowledge of God with others?
3) How willing am I to let others receive a blessing by doing for me without feeling I must reciprocate?
4) How willing am I to continue loving others when they stumble and make mistakes?
5) How willing am I to be God’s spokesperson in order that others might come to know Him?

This checklist will hopefully challenge us to surrender more fully to God’s control in order that He can help us become more graceful individuals.

Lord, show us the things You want us to know;
Lead us where You deem best;
Help us to learn the truths You would show;
Calm us when we are distressed.
Make us the persons You know we can be, 
Even though we are unfit;
Help us to trust You are working in us,
Changing us bit-by-bit.
                  Glenda Collins Inman