Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
6/14/2021
Has the saving and sanctifying grace of God ceased to surprise us?
Perhaps one should ask, what does that look like? And if one is not certain what it looks like, then does Grace Still Affect You?
Barnabas, not only saw the grace of God; he also rejoiced in what he saw. Act 11:”23 “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad.” You might think, Well of course he was glad. But how often do we see the grace of God and yet feel nothing? I think too often. As humans, we become preconditioned to everything over time and we become numb and almost oblivious to their merits and gifting. How often do we grow dull to what God is doing in us and around us? Or how often are you really excited and ecstatic about what you see and perceive in the spirit around you?
(Seriously don’t just read over that question. Be honest with yourself.)
That is a process of keeping God-focused in your eyes, heart, and life. Keeping him at the center of reason for living so you can be filled with the knowledge of his glory and his grace.
But, we must be reminded, as we regain our ability to see all that God is doing around us, Satan will do what he can to make grace seem unremarkable.
But Jesus says, “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Even angels peek over the galaxies between us to see the grace that God has given us in Christ (1 Peter 1:10–12). Wow, I’m not sure I ever remember hearing that. Angels peeking…over the galaxies to see the Grace that God gave us like an innocent on Christmas morning waiting to get a glimpse of a magical red velvet suit. When was the last time, in such great anticipation, you went peeking to see what Grace was doing around you? That’s why I ask does Grace still affect you? If you don’t recognize it can you really be impacted by it and what supernatural power have you lost or never really ever had?
God himself does not tire of the wonders of his grace: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save,” Zephaniah 3:17 says. “He will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” How might the tone and aroma of our lives change if we responded to grace like God does — with happiness so full and strong that it forced us to sing?
And so we pray, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12). We don’t want to see grace and merely believe and obey; we want to be glad. More than anything, we want to rejoice in grace wherever we find it because the glorious grace of God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Think about that, how can one possibly be satisfied with God without seeing the Grace of God? The unmerited favor of God? That was the glorious work of the Holy Spirit in the redemptive and restorative work of the glory of the cross.
Will you pray for one hour this week and ask the Holy Spirit to help you see his Grace and be really rejoice and be glad in it.
Excerpts are taken from Desiring God Ministries on Barnabas seeing the Grace of God
Darlene Zschech Hillsong And that my soul knows very well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2dzy4qRJUU
