Do You Know Grace...

I was reading this morning in Colossians and I was so desperate to share with you something that the Lord impressed on my heart.

As Paul wrote to the church of Colosse, he told them, "...All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth...." (Col. 1:6).....

Ok, now why would those words stand out to me? Because,  as I was reading very slowly, God opened my eyes to see, "Sarah, if you know grace, then the gospel will spread." Wow. It's so true if you think about it. Those who are not sick have no need for a doctor (Mark 2:17), and in the same way, those who have not been knocked to their knees in gratefulness at the grace of God will not be so humbled as to go and proclaim to someone else that they too can be saved by Him. In short--you will proclaim what you know.

For example: those who know the pits and bondage of a certain sin also know what it is to be so redeemed by a mercy they do not deserve. Believe me, I've been there. And when I stop to think of His grace over some major sins of bondage in my life, I also find a joy and an unquenchable need to go tell someone else in bondage that they can be free, just as He has freed me.

Paul reminds the church of this: people will grow spiritual fruit and the gospel will spread when we as believers finally realize the filth of our fallen state and the beauty of His redemptive grace.When we realize how blessed we indeed are, then we will find the desire to go share with someone else..

But in that desire also comes the warning: "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience" (1:9-11).

Because we have known darkness, we must be strengthened in knowledge so that we may live that life pleasing to the Lord. We will have to have endurance and patience because after sharing we no longer have the ability to hide in the shadows--but people now look to our testimony and walk for encouragement. Be warned, once God gives you chances to share, you become someone that people watch--and as my dad has always told me, "Don't fall, Sarah. They will fall right over you."

You don't know how often this has played through my mind as I have made mistakes. Knowing that because of Who I claim to serve and WHOSE I am, my proclamation of Him and His grace closes the doors for me to climb into the background and hide. He didn't make us as believers to be hiders--but blazing emblems of His continual grace.

Because I have made many many many hairy mistakes, and because I know His grace and mercy so personally, why am I not sharing?

Do you know His grace? If so, why do others not know? Do you really know it to a point that you are willing to proclaim it?

Just like my pastor told us in his message: don't boast about your sin, but how will people know He reigns in you if you don't tell that you mess up and He was faithful?

Have you been shown grace? I have. Now who can we tell about it?

Just as Paul prayed for the church, so may we pray for each other that we be filled with knowledge, patience, and endurance to walk in His renewed grace and proclaim it to a waiting world.

Proclaiming Him,
Sarah