Grace Empowers

 Hi Everyone!

We are a few months into a 12-month trial of my blogging. I hope you are enjoying it, and I hope you share the experience with others.

Grace is an exciting word. It is a loaded word depending on who you are around. It can mean a courtesy extended to another that is not deserved, which can be seen as similar to mercy. Mostly I think of a faith vernacular in regards to Grace. Typically Grace is a divine blessing from God empowering one to endure a challenging season that includes forgiveness for failure and strength to endure the growth of hardship. Some, however, would define it as unending forgiveness for our mistakes and sin, often called Hyper-Grace, which is part of a more common strain of Calvinistic Theology.

I personally would agree more with the middle definition based on my understanding of scripture and God's character as described in scripture. There is a story I'd like to share that is what is prodding me to talk about this subject.

One of the staff at a YWAM Base I was serving had a project he was working on during a training course. The young man was not performing as well as hoped and had missed some project deadlines. He had fallen far enough behind that failure was his highest probability. So I called him into my office for a discussion hoping to see him succeed. When he was addressed, he became infuriated with me. Eventually, he calmed down but became a little sad and said repeatedly, " I need you to give me more Grace." That's when it hit me, the young man didn't know Grace is never absent from accountability.

Unfortunately, the story didn't end well. The young man never could pull through and so failed his project, and the course, he was put under review for base leadership. As in most scenarios, it's through leading we learn the most. Grace empowers because it is given during struggle. It is part of the edification process that involves correction and accountability. The receiving of God's Grace provides us with the appearance of self-discipline. God's Grace empowers us to reflect Christ and bring him glory.

If we see Grace with no accountability, we seek enablement, Not empowerment. God's heart is always empowerment. The very purpose of the Grace He gives us is to empower us to love as he does. He loves us selflessly but in a way that calls us outside of our comfort, giving us that empowering Grace to handle the season as we grow through accountability to the body of Christ and in the standards of God's word. Also Known As Edification.

The point of all this is to simply say: Grace without accountability enables. Grace with loving accountability Empowers.

May the Lord reveal His Love and Glory!



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