Extending Grace to Others
Grace is a very difficult concept to understand. All our natural inclinations run contrary to this great truth. Paul Tournier, the Swiss psychiatrist and author, observed that our tendency is to be lenient or indulgent toward our own weaknesses (i.e., “I’m overweight because it runs in my family”) while bringing others to account (i.e., “Why doesn’t he discipline his eating?”). There needs to be a reversal in our attitudes here. We are quick to judge others by their actions while judging ourselves based upon our intentions.
The truth of the matter is that we all make mistakes, we all fall short of God’s glory (see Romans 3:23), and we all deserve to be punished (see Romans 6:23). The revelation of this truth makes the concept of grace worth pursuing. This pursuit must not be just for the fulfillment of one’s own self-gratification, but also to dispense, to all those who surround us daily, this divine solution. We must come to the conclusion that all humanity is in desperate need of His grace, and we are His vessels, which contain this eternal blessing.
E. Stanley Jones has said, “Grace binds you with far stronger cords than the cords of duty or obligation can bind you. Grace is free, but when once you take it you are bound forever to the Giver, and bound to catch the spirit of the Giver. Like produces like. Grace makes you gracious.”
Grace, by nature, is what a person least deserves. It is how God relates to us, and it is how He wants us, in turn, to respond to others. The truth of God’s grace, as we receive it and as we exercise it, could be called the starting point of all spiritual progress. As the apostle Paul wrote, “This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere, just as it changed yours that very first day you heard and understood the truth about God’s great kindness to sinners” (Colossians 1:6).
The need for grace is ongoing. As Christians, we need to give the same grace we have received and in turn help the many people around us who need that second chance, no matter what they might look like.
Great topic to talk about. Its so true that we often judge others by their actions and ourselves by our intentions. I heard John Maxwell say that last month and have been challenged to show grace and judge others by their intentions.