God's grace and Our Actions

8/13/2019 God's grace and Our Actions

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Gods Grace and Our Actions

The fact that one wakes up every day, has a meal on their table, has the energy to go through

the day at work and prosper in the process, find your family alive and well when you come

back from work and have a meal together is not just a coincidence or luck, it is as a result of

Gods unending Grace and Love. As we go through all of the above, we are in the process of

sinning through our thoughts, our words, action and what we just cant find the opportunity to

do. nly the Grace of God can justify and sanctify us before the !ather in "eaven.

Defining Grace

Grace is unmerited favour from God. There is no #ualification to receiving this grace as it is

available to everybody, the saved and unsaved.

Grace has the following aspects:-

Aspect One: Saving Grace

Eph 2:8-1 !"#

$%& !or it is by grace you have been saved, through faith'and this not from yourselves, it is

the gift of God

$(& )ot by works, so that no one can boast.

$*+& !or we are Gods workmanship, created in hrist -esus to do good works, which God

prepared in advance for us to do.

This salvation is entirely by grace. There is no work we can do to merit it, or it would not be

by grace. Although this salvation is not procured by good works, its purpose is to produce

good works.


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True grace gives us instructions. nce again, this is far more than unmerited favour. t is the

sanctifying effect of grace. !irstly it gives us negative instructions. t tells us to reject

ungodliness and worldly passions. Then it gives us positive instructions on how to live, with

self7control, uprightness and godliness.

Aspect .our: Serving Grace

/o0 1:) !"# Through him and for his names sake, we received grace and apostleship to

call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

1+o 1):%-1 !"# !or am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an

apostle, because persecuted the church of God. $v*+& 2ut by the grace of God am what

am, and his grace to me was not without effect. )o, worked harder than all of them'yet not

, but the grace of God that was with me.

2+o 8:1-2 !"# And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given

the 4acedonian churches. $6& ut of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their

e8treme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

All of the above te8ts demonstrate that the genuine grace of God will produce within us the

desire, ability and energy to serve God in his world and church. f we do not demonstrate this

service in our lives, we have no evidence that we really have received the grace of God.

These four aspects of grace show us that it is far more than just unmerited favour. /e can be

certain that we have received the true grace of God only when all four aspects are evidenced

in our lives and in our daily business activities.


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"s Grace !ecessar,

.or deliverance fro0 Sin

4an has a natural propensity to sin and go waywardly therefore we cannot save ourselves.

Grace is necessary for the deliverance from sin. Galatians ):22 lists the fruits of the spirit

available in Gods grace. A lack of it will give the opposite, listed herewith but not limited to

these.

.ruits of the Spirit as a result of Grace

through the Spirit

or3s of evil as a result of tr,ing to do

things on ones own strength

Love "atred

-oy -ealousy

9eace 2ad temper

:uiet 4ind !actions

;ind Acts ivalry

Grace gives us strength and confidence in our dail, lives and in all decision 0a3ing

processes4

6 Timothy 60*76 3?ou then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in hrist -esus5.


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Grace gives us 0otivation in pursuing our goals4

/o0ans 12:' 0 3/e have different gifts, according to the grace that is given to us. f your gift

is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith, if it is serving, then serve@ if it is

teaching, then teach@ if it is to encourage, then give encouragement @ if it is giving, then give

generously@ if it is to lead, do it diligently@ if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully5.

"s Gods Grace Sufficient

2 +orinthians 12:%-12

2ut he said to me, 34y grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in

weakness.5 Therefore will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of

hrist may rest upon me.

4any worry if their leadership skills are good enough or if they will be able to fulfil tasks

satisfactorily and serve men and God in the process. This verse shows us that in our

weaknesses, Gods grace is sufficient, "e comes through to fill us with "is pirit to enable us

to do what we have to. This glorifies God in the process.

Gods Grace and Our Actions

hristian =thics is a response to the grace of God that we have received through hrist -esus.

ur actions are grounded in Gods action and our ability to love is preceded by our reception

of Gods love.

2ecause we have received grace through the hrists death, grace must then characterise all

our human relationships. ur reception of grace put us under a heavy responsibility as we

have to e8tend this justice to others.


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5ow are our actions to 6e governed 6, the fact that we are receivers of grace

7 +hange our attitudes towards the wea37 oppressed and need,4

The work of orporate ocial >esponsibility and all organisational acts of kindness

should all point out to the grace that we have received individually. /hen mining

houses give to communities around them and outside their operating Bones, it is

ploughing back to society and helping those in need to prosper, just as they would

have been prospered.


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7 Act fairl, towards e0plo,ees and sta3eholders

rganisations and managers have to treat employees in a fairly and justly, care for

others just as hrist cares for us. /hen you are a recipient of grace, just as hrist died

for you and justified you on the cross, one has to act mercifully towards others. !or

e8ample, when an employee reports that their child is sick and they have to go home

early, be empathetic and allow them to handover and go home. A worrying worker

and parent will not be as productive anyway.

7 5onest conduct

/hen we are in custody of the resources of other, the shareholders, we have to act

honestly in terms of the resources entrusted to us, the time and our general conduct on

the job. Acts of fraud of any kind are not consistent with the works of the "oly pirit

in us.

7 /iddance of the suspicion and resent0ent

;nowing that we are all children of the living God and A have sinned and fallen

short of the glory of God, we have to rid of all suspicion and resentment towards

others. There are so many disputes and fights in organisations that are fuelled by

suspicion and resentment which would have been eliminated by loving one another

just as one loves themselves. hrist commissions us as follows07

*. Love one another

6. !orgive as the Lord forgave you $ olossians C0*C&


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C. 2e kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in hrist

God forgave you $=phesians D0C6&

D. =ncourage one another and build each other up. Always try to be kind to each

other and to everyone else $* Thessalonians 10**, *1&

1. "onour one another above yourselves $>omans *60*+&

>eferences

*. The "oly 2ible $)ew nternational Eersion&

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God's grace and Our Actions