If you could fill in the blank to the above statement, what word would you choose? Love? Know? Serve? How about Trust? Maybe there’s another word that rings true to your heart?

That which you hope for in your relationship with God is possible. Many of us have made this kind of statement before. I wish I could _____ God more! We struggle with feeling like we aren’t measuring up to someone else’s walk with God. We compare ourselves in the areas of love, trust, and service from others to God.

At times we think we are failing God in areas of our lives - then we focus on that feeling of failure. I want to encourage you that there is a “rest” that we can enter. We can cease from striving with and within ourselves when we learn about Grace. It’s that thing that we sing about how amazing it is but are not sure we have a real grasp of it.

Grace is a willing yet unequal exchange by two parties. For one party, it’s letting go of weaknesses and inabilities and accepting the other party’s strength and ability. For the second party, it’s eagerly accepting the deficits of the first party and providing the resource to bring change. It’s not a fair exchange but I’ll take it. This exchange was God’s idea, and He is willing to make the investment.

Grace gives us the power to be what we can’t be, and the power to do what we can’t do within ourselves. This starts with our salvation experience with God. We are saved by grace, and not by any power in ourselves. When we realize that we can’t work our way into God’s acceptance, we ask for grace. I understand that I don’t deserve to be a child of God, but His grace enables me to be.

After we receive Christ, every bit of our walk with God is a continuation of His grace at work in our lives. The Apostle Paul tells us that God’s grace is sufficient in all things. Paul endured perilous times but came through them with more power and determination. Paul also realized that in spite of his personal strengths and notable education, these things weren’t enough to equip him for his calling. He was an Apostle, only by the grace of God. As talented as a lot of people are, their gifts can’t take them to the place God wants them to be. However, God’s grace is enough to save, call, equip, and provide for while on the journey.

There’s only one thing required from us if we want to experience God’s grace in our lives. That requirement is humility! Scripture tells us that God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud. From the time we first experience salvation, to living the life in Christ that we want is a journey in grace.

If grace were an airplane, in search of a place to land, it can only land on a soul given to humility. Humility is simply saying, “I can’t - but God, you can”. It’s realizing and confessing, “I’m not enough, but Father you are, and I need your help”. Help is what scripture encourages us boldly approach God’s throne for when He provides Grace!

I can’t love God or serve God in my own strength to the degree I think i should. But when I ask for grace to do so, He gives it. I can’t know God or trust God enough within myself, but there’s a grace for that. God happily gives us grace upon grace for any area of our lives that we need. Are we trusting in our own strength or His?

The next time you feel inadequate, know that God has grace for that through Jesus. When you feel not enough guess what? His grace makes us enough. When you’ve failed miserably in life or at life, there’s a grace for that. When your relationships are struggling, God has a special grace that is enough to remain committed and at peace within ourselves.

God doesn’t stiff arm us to keep us away in dark times, he only asks that we come to Him with humility, It’s the response of our soul to God. It’s a response regarding our weaknesses as well as strengths. God wants from us, like He did from the Apostle Paul, to offer both the good and bad in our lives in surrender to Him. We can acknowledge our inabilities and rest that His grace is always more than enough.

We don’t have to just wish we could do more or be more….By God’s grace we become empowered and enabled to!

Be Well,

Michael