In the Know, Vol. 10: Grace is God’s Empowerment for Our Lives
My husband and I are reading John Bevere’s X: Multiply Your God-Given Potential. It’s fueling great conversation and shaping how we think about grace.
A big a-ha from the book is that grace is “not only part of our God-given salvation but also God’s empowerment for our lives.” Bevere goes on to explain that “this empowerment or grace is what makes it possible for us to push beyond our natural ability to pursue the calling God has placed on our lives as believers.”
Using this explanation of grace to unpack the story of Jonah helped me understand how God’s heart for Jonah and Nineveh relates to us today. As humans, sometimes we get stuck, and we reach the end of our natural ability to extend grace. In Jonah’s case, he couldn’t offer the Ninevites grace because he couldn’t push past his anger towards them. But God loved Jonah and had too much planned for him to allow him to stay in this mindset. So, he repeatedly asks, “what right do you have to be angry?” in an attempt to shine a light on Jonah’s weakness and offer an opportunity for him to overcome it by relying on God’s strength.
I think it’s the same for us today. I know extending grace to others is often hard for me because it doesn’t always feel like they’ve earned it. But isn’t that the whole point of grace? Whether we’re angry, or frustrated, jealous or resentful, if part of God’s call on our lives is to extend grace to others, then I bet that with His empowerment, we can reach beyond our natural abilities and extend grace to others. But we have to choose to let God’s grace empower us in areas that don’t necessarily come naturally.
How does this sit with you? What steps do you need to take to accept God’s empowerment and extend grace to others when it’s hard?
BIBLEPROJECT CHARACTER OF GOD SERIES: GRACE
In this podcast, Annie Downs and pastor and author John Bevere discuss how grace is the fuel behind the potential God creates in each of us. This is truly a can’t miss conversation, full of so much, well potential ?. It will cause you to look at your relationship with God through a more intentional lens. Be sure you’re somewhere with the space to take notes!
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE
BAKED SPAGHETTI RECIPE CARD
Create safe environments where women can bring life's deepest questions.
Known Collective provides everything you need to implement a mentoring process to help women leave comparison at the door and enter a space where they can be real and engage in conversations that matter.