Preface: The G-Force
When Jesus started His earthly ministry, John the Baptist said “He who came from the Father, full of grace and full of truth.” He goes on to say “from the fullness of His grace we have received one blessing after another, for the law was given through Moses, Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:4-17). What are you full of? Many times when we are joking around with people and having a good time we will say “you are full of it.” Seriously, what are you full of? Are you full of greed, guilt, or grace, hereinafter referred to as the G-Force? Most people are full of a combination of the G-force. In the aeronautical world they use a term, “G-force”.
This term relates to the acceleration experience by an object due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The G-Force is experienced when you act against the natural law of gravitation. In the same way the force of greed, guilt or grace moves us in our lives to do things that we either regret or appreciate. Have you ever asked yourself “why did I do that”? What was I thinking? What force was driving me to make that decision? Jesus was a man controlled by Grace. What is Grace? We have heard the age old definition that grace is God’s unmerited favor. That is true but weak. Grace is “love in action”.
When we were born-again (the second time), God placed a new heart within us. Ezekiel 36:26-27 says “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you a heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh; and I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
At our spiritual birth, we experience the wonderful force of God’s grace. The G-force goes against the natural man, a thrilling, exhilarating force, which will forever change our life, Grace (love in action).
Now the battle begins between the G-forces. Our old man is still driven by greed and guilt, and our new man is pulled by Grace (love in action). Ephesians 4:30 says, “…and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” When the seal of the Holy Spirit came into our heart at our second birth the power of grace came in forever to reside in our hearts. You may ask why? Galatians 5:22 says, “…the fruit of the spirit is love” (it is fruit, not fruits). What is Grace? It is “love in action”, which is the manifestation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
What does love in action (grace) look like? Love takes on 13 dimensions which we find in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:
1) Love is patient
2) Love is kind
3) Love does not envy
4) Love does not boast
5) Love is not proud
6) Love is not easily angered
7) Love keeps no record (score) of wrong
8) Love does not delight in evil
9) Love rejoices with truth
10) Love always protects
11) Love always trust
12) Love always hopes
13) Love always preserver
Love never fails, therefore grace (love in action), never fails.
What G-force is driving you today?
1) Greed
2) Guilt
3) Grace
Remember, God’s grace doesn’t promise the absence of struggle, but the presence and power of God to overcome. For we are more than conquerors! Romans 8:31 says, “What then shall we say in response to this? If God is for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all (grace) how will he not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things (Love in action)? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies, who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life and who is at the Right Hand of God and who is interceding for us”.
Grace is for the past- present- future. Romans 8:35 asks, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ (From whom grace flows)? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”
As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. Know in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
When we begin to understand the greatness of God’s love demonstrated to us by His actions, we will be able to begin to live in Grace and extend it to others.
My prayer for you as you journey through this study in the next 52 weeks is that you may be able to comprehend as the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 3, with all the saints, what is the width, length, depth, and height of the love of Christ so that you may become a person of Grace (Love in Action).