Grace at work

“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Tim 2:1
Paul followed these words with three illustrations to help give insight to Timothy. The soldier endures hardship to please his Commander. The athlete runs according to the rules to gain the victor’s crown. The farmer works hard to be the first to receive his share of the crop. Grace is not a commodity and it is not a formula. We may think about phrases such as “God’s riches at Christ’s expense” but real grace is the capacity given to us through our relationship with Christ to serve according to the rules of the kingdom of God. God gives grace to the humble. God’s grace is sufficient. God’s grace enables us to work with kingdom purpose. How we work through difficulties and follow the rules of the kingdom will be evidence of the strength of His grace in our lives. God’s grace is also evident in how we cope with the pain of life and experience deeper relationship with Christ when we cannot explain the mysteries we face.

He wrote to the community in Philippi:

“continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. “
Phil 2:12

A twofold process of grace is the work of God in us and in our working with Him. In this particular passage Paul gives a rule of grace and a reason for it:

Rule: Do everything without complaining or arguing
Reason: So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
as you hold out[c] the word of life.

The rule is to do everything without complaining and arguing. The purpose is to be blameless and pure in order to shine as lights.

Some in the Philippian community may have had the image of the crossing of the red sea in mind as they listened to the letter read to them. Jewish Rabbis had a story of two men walking across the red sea complaining about the mud on their feet while on either side the walls of water showed the wonder and awe of God’s grace and mercy in delivering them from bondage in Egypt.

In life today we have to walk through mud. We can get so caught up in the mud on the feet of those around us that we miss the awe and wonder of God’s gracious hand on our lives leading us in His redemptive purposes.

We must keep walking according to the twofold rule of grace to be strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and to endure the difficulties with the end in mind.

I believe that all of us can grow in our experience of His grace in the dynamic of life in community. The gospel has re-connected us with the capacity for real community. It connects us to possibilities for healing. It brings capacity to face the reality about ourselves and others. The good of the gospel in our hearts is greater than all the bad we face. The presence of Christ defines our relationship with others and the world. The more we grow in this relationship the greater our capacity to bring healing to others.

"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as[c] the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7:37 – 39

Through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives streams of living waters can flow with healing in community.