Which Comes First?

God has given us commands. He has revealed to us many things we must be mindful of doing. And God expects us to faithfully keep His commands. But is the motivation for our obedience and service based solely on command or is it more of a response to all the things God has provided? What comes first -- God’s GRACE because we keep DOING or our DOING because of His GRACE?

Paul, as he looked at his life and his work, stated:
“(9) For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (10) But BY THE GRACE OF GOD I AM WHAT I AM, AND HIS GRACE TOWARD ME WAS NOT IN VAIN. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” ( 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 ESV)

Remembering his life as a persecutor, Paul knew he did not deserve God’s grace. We didn’t deserve it either because of sin in our lives. But God has provided grace because we need it and His hope is that it will be a motivating factor in responding to Him. God’s grace impacted Paul’s life. Grace motivated Paul to press on in his labors for the Lord even when he faced opposition. Grace had its proper affect on Paul’s life.

The point is this: We don’t have GRACE because of what we DO. Rather we DO because of GRACE. We see how that power worked in Paul’s life and it is to be working in our lives as well. The affect of God’s grace should empower us to respond properly to all of life. Note what Paul wrote to Titus:

“(11) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, (12) TRAINING US TO RENOUNCE UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY PASSIONS, AND TO LIVE SELF-CONTROLLED, UPRIGHT, AND GODLY LIVES IN THIS PRESENT AGE, (13) waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, (14) who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” ( Titus 2:11-14 ESV)

Let us continue to allow God’s grace to train (or teach) us to renounce and say no to what is out of place with the Christian walk. May God’s grace always have His intended effect on our life. Serving with eagerness will reveal how appreciative we are of the grace God has extended. Let it be a powerful motivator in our life.

Have a great day AFFECTED BY GOD’S GLORIOUS GRACE!
Carl

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[This focus was originally sent 07/17/1998 (Edited some with passages changed to ESV)]

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