2 Corinthians 6:1-10
Vv.1-2: “As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’”
Do you ever feel like quitting? Get away from everything, including God’s commands—just for a day? If so, you’re in good company. Jonah ran away—as far as he could so that he wouldn’t hear the Lord. Did his ocean experience in a fish’s belly save him from obeying the Lord? Check out a kid’s Bible study in Jonah. It’s a short 4 chapters of pure adventure.
As followers of Jesus, we are urged not to receive God’s grace in vain. What does the opening Scripture mean? It means that God gives us His grace—every single day—sufficient for our needs. So instead of rejecting God’s grace, we’re to grab hold of it and endure through troubles, hardships, and distress (2Corinthians 6:4-10).
We’re to stand erect: alert, unswerving, rejoicing. Following Jesus is seen in the details of our lives. God gives us power—the very strength we need to find victory in our daily trials. Today is the day of the Lord’s favor. Today is the day of salvation.
This power provides the endurance we need to work hard each day. We are to exhibit purity, understanding, patience, and kindness. Troubles, hardships, and distress are to be responded to in truth from God’s Word. God’s strength is our strength that we can use as weapons of righteousness every day.
People notice our daily behavior, and recognize that we’re not faking because we remain steady from one day into another. We may be frustrated, but not beaten, angry but not withholding affection, sorrowful, but rejoicing deep inside our hearts.
We can do this by keeping our eyes on the big picture. We have assurance that our Father is in control of everything.
God won’t prevent hardships, but He will walk with us through them ensuring our victory.
What does it mean to squander God’s grace?
Here are some illustrations: when kids are mocking a kid who’s disabled, you laugh with them. When your neighbor leaves her test paper open, you sneak a peek. You snatch the last of the cookies and then feign ignorance when confronted. These seem small. They don’t seem important.
But God is watching, and His grace is stretching around all our missteps. If we push the edge of His grace too far—one day His patience could end—the rubber band could snap. We’d rather be in His grace than in His judgment.
Dear Lord forgive me when I do wrong.Only Your strength will make me strong.
J. D. Griffith
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