How To Appropriate God's Grace

2 Cor. 8:9 - You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for our sake became poor that we through His poverty might become rich.

1. Grace is an expression of God's favor given to us freely at Christ's expense. Nothing we do can make God love us more. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.

2. The root word for grace in the Greek is charis. This verb means, "I will rejoice & be glad." When many people think of Christians they think of serious, sullen people who are enduring their hardships grudgingly, but not out of a joy of the Lord as their strength. (Neh. 8:10)

3. When we say grace at meal times we are acknowledging our provisions as gifts from God.

4. When we are grateful to someone we are expressing graciousness in our attitudes.

5. When we are congratulate or praise someone for something well done we are expressing a measure of grace by acknowledging someone's accomplishments, efforts, or good intentions.

6. When we are gracious in hosting people & listening to their problems we are expressing grace.

7. When we are pleased with someone's service we offer them a gratuity in appreciation for their service. Gratuities can be in cash, in kind, or in a note that allows people to take something with them as a cherished memory that their efforts were not in vain.

8. When we forgive someone who has intentionally or unintentionally hurt us we are showing the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though He was rich He became poor that we through His poverty might become rich out of His abundant forgiveness, mercy, & kindness.

9. When we add grace notes to a musical score we are enriching a piece by adding spice to its life. In the same way adding words of kindness, compliments, or notes of encouragement we are giving a spark to people that otherwise would be sorely missed.

10. When we give away complimentary copies of our books, resources, or love we are gracing a person with the overflow of goodness out of our own lives.

11. When we give people extra time to complete an assignment or overlook another's faults we are offering them a grace period. By expressing patience, tolerance, & temperance we are expressing the grace of God that He has so generously shown to us.

12. When we help alleviate another person's pain we are expressing the grace that heals wounded hearts.

13. When we help people overcome a disgrace or shame we are applying the grace that covers all our sins

14. When we express worship, praise, & honor to the Lord we are helping others by showing them how to overcome the stigma of being an ingrate.

15. When we show people their worth, value, & importance by believing in them & assisting them in the ministry of building the kingdom of God & His righteousness, we are validating them. After this affirmation few persons will dare to label them persona non grata - someone who not welcomed.

16. When we recount the miracles that God has performed over the years with people like John Newton. A former wicked slave owner who became a Christian & later wrote the compelling hymn, "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see." By contemplating where God has taken us from & helped us escape so much we will never fall short of the grace of God through unbelief or misbelief

(mistaken beliefs).

17. When we deliver the gospel of God's grace in words & deeds as well as in grace & truth. By presenting the gospel in such a balanced way people will come to know the whole gospel.

18. When we recognize that we are living in the "Age of Grace" & no longer under the law.

19. When we approach the throne of grace consistently & confidently to find mercy & grace in the times of our need. Let us learn to do this by using a list of specific requests that we can pray for our families, our bosses, our colleagues, companions, as well as the lost who still need to find the grace of the forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord.

20. When we give graciously & not under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.

21. When we exhibit grace in overlooking another's fault. Jesus said before you look at the speck in your brother's eye first remove the log out of your own eye.

22. When we speak with a graciousness that indicates a humility that recognizes everything we have comes from the Lord. Gracious speech is filled with seasoning that preserves moral values.