We all start out in life as strangers to God and His grace. “Grace” means God’s goodness granted to undeserving people. As we begin to experience God’s loving mercy, we’re able to learn to trust Him more each day to see us through all our trials. Then His grace will be able to shine forth in our life. It doesn’t matter what we might experience in life—the grace of God will be sufficient for us to make it through.
All pain and suffering won’t disappear, but He’ll provide us with enough grace so we can endure and see beyond our present difficulties. And, by His grace, everyone who comes to Him and is willing to obey what He commands will be able to know Him. His grace is greater than anything we can ever bring to it!
He delights in coming to us to bring us His unlimited supply of love and grace. How often we fail to reflect on His grace for us because we’re so caught up with our problems and sins.
Grace Comes From the Heart of God
Grace originates in God’s heart. His mercy is a product of His grace. Thinking about goodness, love, and the grace of God can produce pleasant thoughts, but we don’t often think about them in relation to our own holiness. He delights in coming to us to bring us His unlimited supply of love and grace. How often we fail to reflect on His grace for us because we’re so caught up with our problems and sins. But God does remember His grace even as He forgets our sins. He’s the One we need to look to for the grace that His Holy Spirit will make a reality to us.
Our Faith Must be in Christ and the Cross to Have the Grace of God
The grace of God is available to everyone. But the only way we can receive it is by placing our faith in Christ and what He did for us when He died on the Cross on our behalf. Being saved can never come by our own efforts alone, but only by His grace, through faith. And the object of our faith must forever be the Cross. This is the power He’s given to us that enables us to become saved. Whatever God does to help us in our lives is done by His grace. And, by having faith in Him, we can become a child of God. That’s the only means.
Anything that exactly fulfills the purpose it was created for will experience joy. But we’re missing out on the greatest joy in life if we don’t love God with all our heart.
Joy Comes When We Love God With All of Our Heart
When God does His work in our lives by grace, He does it with joy. And love is the first thing to be recognized concerning supreme joy. The love He has for us goes way beyond anything we can possibly know on our own, and the joy He can give us is so great that sometimes it can’t even be expressed! Joy isn’t just being happy or right—it’s the nature of God in us that can have joy no matter what may happen. It’s also the result of the perfect fulfillment of what man was created for.
Anything that exactly fulfills the purpose it was created for will experience joy. But we’re missing out on the greatest joy in life if we don’t love God with all our heart. Therefore, it isn’t simply that we can be saved by His love—it also involves the grace of God, with His love as the motivating factor. He’s the only One Who can bring joy back to those whose hearts have been broken.
Love Comes From Our Fellowship With God
Anywhere that faith is encouraged to live and grow, plenty of love will be found. When God comes into our life, He brings an explosion of love with Him. After we hear and know of God and then obey what He says, faith and hope begin to be aroused in our hearts. He has given us the Bible, which He wants us to use to help us understand more about the grace of God and the love He has for us. He’ll provide an experience with Him as we begin to develop in faith and knowledge of His Word. He wants us fully convinced that we have faith in Him, which can only come about by having fellowship with Him.
As we learn to walk in His light, the Lord will admit us into His heart and presence where we’ll find total freedom.
If we ever feel cold toward God and far from Him, He’ll still surround us with His love—both behind us and in front of us. As we learn to walk in His light, the Lord will admit us into His heart and presence where we’ll find total freedom. Then He’ll give us His unlimited attention, and His love that will not let go of us!
God Knows Us, Loves Us, and Rejoices With Joy Over Us
“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives by being His child is our joy. He knows us and He loves us! How He rejoices with joy over us! His desire is to be involved in every aspect of our life every day. If we’ll give our life to Him and always put Him first, we’ll never feel helpless and alone again. We will succeed in pleasing our Lord, all because of His love and grace for us! And what joy this will bring!
If you want to know more about how to experience a life of joy through knowing God, please visit our page on The Way to God.
[Additional image credits: Featured image (when applicable) ) by Fernando Brasil on Unsplash; Opening photo by Danny Lines on Unsplash]
