Grace, Grace, and More Grace

“Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

—JERRY BRIDGES

But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it).

—James 4:6

Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit offered to us free of charge, enabling us to do with ease what we could never do alone with any amount of struggle and effort. Scripture encourages us to receive not only grace but more grace. Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound (see Romans 5:20). God has enough grace to meet all our needs, but we need to ask for it and learn to live in it.

When we attempt works of the flesh, we use up our own energy trying to do what only God can do. Works of the flesh produce frustration and work in direct opposition to grace. We really cannot live with a little of each because they cancel each other out. Each time I feel frustrated I remind myself I am not receiving grace (God’s energy) for the task at hand.

Frustration, complication, and misery are available in abundance, but so is God’s grace. We are to humble ourselves under His mighty hand because only the humble get help. God helps those who humble themselves and admit they cannot do what needs to be done without His help.

Grace meets our evil tendencies (see James 4:6). It is the only thing that can change us into what God desires us to be, and He desires us to be like Him. Your life can be greatly simplified by learning how to receive grace in every situation. Without it, we all labor with life and everything becomes hard, difficult, and usually impossible.