GRACE EMPOWERS AND CHANGES LIVES

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” Titus 2:11 (KJV)

 

When grace comes, there are things that must change. Things will not remain the same. Zacchaeus, the chief of the publicans, encountered grace. He said I will give half of my goods to the poor without anyone judging or condemning him.

 

In Luke 19:8, he said, “…Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold (KJV). Why? Because he encountered the grace of God. Jesus didn’t tell him what to do, but an encounter with grace did. You can’t live the same way you used to live when you have received grace. Grace empowers you to live for God. When grace comes, it changes your life.

 

Peter denied the Lord three times, but in Mark 16:7, when the Lord rose from the dead, He specifically instructed the women who first saw Him to go and tell the disciples, and of special mention was Peter. Why Peter? Recall Peter denied Jesus, and it is so easy to think that he can never be forgiven. So that he may know that God’s plan for him has not yet been aborted, Jesus specifically mentioned him. Peter received grace and was eventually restored. In Acts 2, the same Peter preached, and 3000 souls were saved.

 

In the Book of 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul said: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (KJV). Grace empowered Paul and enabled him to labour more than the rest of them.

 

So, when grace comes, there are things that must change. Things will not remain the same. The prodigal son in Luke 15:17-32 received grace, and you will not read of him that he left home again. He stayed and never went away because he knew the difference between a banqueting table and a garbage can. So, grace is not a license to continue in sin. Grace changes your life. And grace empowers you to live for God.

 

Further Reading: Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7

Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Esther 6-8; Evening- Acts 6