The gravity of grace

So...I am very much overdue to post, but it has been a busy season. Lots has happened - I published a new book, performed both a funeral and a wedding, began planning for a young adult conference.....and so on and so on. But, one of the greatest things that happened is a confirmation or reconfirmation of my primary purpose.

You see, life can be rather difficult if you are just flitting around, moving from one thing that satisfies you to another. If we are honest, we would admit that what we like can rapidly change from one day to the next. Things become passe and as the rest of the world moves on, we sometimes feel compelled to move on with it. Unfortunately, that doesn't work so well if you have decided to join the Jesus crew and live your lives as sons and daughters of God. The responsibility of purpose is ever looming in your life.

As such, each of us has been given spiritual gifts and talents to use for both general and specific purposes. Generally, we are to: ¹⁹ ...go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19). But there also are scriptures that speak to more specific purpose as well through gifts and talents placed within us.  

Literally, we have been designed to provide support, one to another, as God has deemed needed and necessary to God's purposes. So ultimately, we want to end up hanging out with Jesus more so that we can know and understand what we have been wonderfully created to accomplish.

That might sound like a tall, boring order because let's face it, most of us were not raised in an environment that demonstrated hanging out with Jesus as anything fun. In many instances, we were accosted by a bunch of rules and regulations that either made us obsess way too much about sin, or made us move to the other extreme; "if I can't meet the requirements of being saved, then I may as well have fun. His grace is sufficient." Of course, we never stated it in those words, but that was the end result.

That's probably why when we discuss grace, purpose usually is not part of the conversation, although it should be. For many of us, our primary focus is on redemptive grace; the grace that allows for our sins to be forgiven over and over again by God. We go astray, sin, misstep and God redeems us by extending grace and forgiving us. That's the understanding of grace that most of us are consistently taught and that we often default to. 
 
But that type of attitude about grace is what has lead many Christians down some very dark allies, never to experience the utter joy of fulfilling their God-ordained purpose. It can become a merry-go-round of sorts if we never gain understand the true gravity of grace; its importance, its significance, even its weight in our lives.  

Grace is not an end game. It is not merely something that we avail ourselves of time after time, whenever we "slip" or "slide." Grace is a precursor. It maintains us over the long haul so that the Holy Spirit can complete its perfecting work in us, preparing us for both purpose and sanctification.
 

That is is the grace that empowers us for purpose and ministry through the Holy Spirit. That is the grace that calls for the greater sacrifice, the stronger yes to God. That is the grace that leads us to truly know and operate in our Holy Spirit given gifts and talents.

 Change your perspective about grace. Our flesh alone, even under the unction of the redemptive principle of grace, can't not get us to purpose. Purpose is only possible when the union between grace and the Holy Spirit is allowed to occur within us, working cohesively to move us into the perfect will of God for our lives, and our work.  Purpose often turns out to be our sweet spot. and most importantly of all, a blessing to both others and yourself.