Pastor's Corner: Sufficient grace

In the last couple of years, many have felt as if they were suffocating and drowning under the weight of uncertainty and life's trials. God encourages us to look beyond our personal needs and focus on ministering to God and ministering to the needs of those around us. God's grace is understanding that by His divine power He has given us everything we need for a godly life (2 Peter 1:3).

Grace has been working in your life through the good times and the difficult times. Grace was active pre-COVID and will continue to be active post-COVID. Scripture is permeated from beginning to end with God's grace. Grace is not just the diving board that gets you started on your spiritual journey, but it is also the pool that we swim in. The pool of grace is what Noah found himself in (Genesis 6:8) and it is what Paul declared, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Grace is a word that many are familiar with but are often unsure how to appropriate or explain. Augustine once wrote, "What is grace? I know until you ask me, but when you ask me, I don't know." Grace is what every person needs, none can earn it and is freely found in Christ. Grace appears at least a 129 times in the New Testament. It was a word used by pagans to describe several things. Grace was something that ensured pleasure or joy, grace was also used to describe something of beauty. Finally, the pagans used the word grace to describe an empowering touch that enabled one to do something that they initially couldn't do. Grace was not silent. It spilled over in a visible manifestation. In the same manner, when the grace of God touches us, it is evident through some change. Our hearts, words and lifestyle ought to reflect the transformation brought by the touch of God.

The standard definition of grace is "unmerited favor or compassion shown to someone who may not deserve it." However, the grace of God is deeply personal. It's more than a description of God's action or His power to help us. Grace describes how God feels about us as well. You bring joy and pleasure to God. He sees you as a person of beauty and wants to transform your life. In the Gospel of Luke, a prostitute hears that Jesus is having dinner at a Pharisee's house. So, she comes to kneel at Jesus' feet, weeping and washing his feet with her tears and her hair. She even anoints his feet with perfume. The Pharisee questions Jesus' acceptance of this woman, and Jesus responds, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but she hasn't stopped kissing my feet since I came in. You didn't anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that's why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little. ... And he said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.'"

God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." This implies that our weakness is the fertile soil for God's grace to grow richly in our lives. This promise was not just for the Apostle Paul, but it is a promise for every believer. Grace is what every person needs, none can earn it and freely found in Christ. Rest in the grace of Christ!

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Pastor Munya Takawira