Noun | \ ‘ɡrās\ : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine assistance

When I was younger, I could never understand the peculiarity of grace. It did not fit in my mind how a person riddled with imperfections could simply be forgiven by a perfect God. It would be nice to say that this inquietude slipped into oblivion, but frankly, the thought continued forming. Years later I stumbled upon Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.” This scripture further plunged my mind into confusion. I remember reading the verse one time and another, asking God to clarify what it meant. Little did I know God was going to allow me to know the answer on an entirely new level.

Four months after I read the verse, the “clarification” started coming. However, it did not come the way I would have imagined it would. I entered a stage in my life where I thought I was worthless. Every mistake and sin I’d ever committed seemed to build itself into a monster that taunted me day and night. I wanted to run—to get out of myself—to do anything possible to escape the horrible game I knew I was losing. The lies in my head eventually became so strong that they began to affect the way I functioned and acted towards myself. I stopped believing I deserved anything. And yes, all of these things did happen, but I am so grateful Jesus stepped onto the scene.

God showed me His love and mercy in such a vivid way. I was feeling worthless and hopeless, but Romans 11:6 reads, “And if by grace, then it is no more works…but if it be of works it is no more grace.” As I read this verse, God confirmed something in my spirit. Works are all the actions we take: the “good” and the “bad” we do. But Romans 3:23 reads, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” No matter what we have done, we all fall short of God’s divine expectations, but the beautiful thing is God doesn’t use our works as measurements for His grace.

Our actions defined us in the period of the law, but in that system nobody was able to meet every requirement. “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). When Jesus poured out His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, the dispensation (period) of grace began. This is the period we live today, and in this period, we live by grace.

Here it does not matter who we have been or where we have come from, we can now enjoy the liberty of grace. Here we can enjoy the joy of His forgiveness. Here we can walk into every day knowing we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Here we can enjoy the freedom of being a new creature. Here we have been given the power to be called sons and daughters of God.

My dear friend and fellow Christian, God wants to remind you today that regardless of what you have been or where the walks of life have taken you, you can still be called a son or daughter of God. Enjoy His grace and this last illustration.

Jesus is walking through a grocery store with a basket in hand. He views the gallery of fresh produce. He observes the ripe, red strawberries; the deep, purple grapes; and the sweet-smelling oranges. But to His spectators’ surprise, He continues walking. He passes all the luscious goods until he reaches the area of the fruit that is ready to be thrown out. He picks up a browned orange, smiles, and puts it in His basket. He grabs a bruised apple, wipes it, and into His basket it goes. When His spectators see Him, they ask, “You’ve taken all the rotten fruit and ignored the good ones. Why do You smile?” He looks up and answers them, “You see rotten, unusable, and broken. I see possibilities. I see potential. I see something I can glorify Myself in. I see something I can make beautiful.”

Hey dear friend, that’s you!

I am a happy sixteen-year-old from the Roca Solida ministries in Georgia. I love ice cream, books, a starry night, and a sunny day!