Note: This sermon has been graciously shortened—with permission—to magazine length while preserving its depth and scriptural richness. To read Elevate to the Next Level: “Living In God’s Grace” in its entirety click HERE. If you prefer to Watch on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPkuUHYf1-c
Living in God’s Grace
How can we live in God’s grace? The answer is through His transforming grace—the grace that changes us from the inside out.
Consider the story of the great violinist Niccolò Paganini. During one performance, a string on his violin broke. He continued playing. Then another string broke, and then another, until only one string remained. Rather than stopping, Paganini raised his violin and declared, “Paganini and one string,” before playing an encore on that single string.
Life can feel much the same. We face circumstances we cannot control—sickness, job loss, financial difficulties, accidents, broken relationships, and the death of loved ones. These are the inevitabilities of life. We cannot always choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we respond.
Paul writes in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Transformation is different from conformity. Conformity changes us from the outside in; transformation changes us from the inside out. It is like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. God’s grace works within us, gradually making us new in Christ.
1. Readjust Our Attitudes
Paul says we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Philippians 2:5 tells us, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Jesus demonstrated an attitude of humility. Although He was God, He willingly took the form of a servant. If we want to become more like Christ, our transformation must begin with our attitudes and what we allow into our minds.
Think about two construction workers eating lunch. One opened his lunchbox and complained, “Baloney again! That’s the fourth time this week, and I hate baloney sandwiches.”
His friend suggested that he ask his wife to prepare something different.
“My wife?” he replied. “I fix my own lunches.”
Sometimes we complain about what we are putting into our own lives.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” What we put into our minds eventually comes out of our lives. When life bumps us, whatever fills our hearts is what spills over.
So be careful about your thoughts, your friends, and how you view your problems. Scripture tells us that bad company corrupts good habits, while trials can produce perseverance and spiritual maturity.
Problems are not necessarily obstacles to God’s work in us. They can become opportunities through which God transforms us.
We also need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The disciples went from fearful and uncertain to bold witnesses when the Holy Spirit came upon them. God gives us His Spirit to empower us to live differently.
2. Change Our Focus
The second step is to get our focus off ourselves and onto God.
Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). We often ask, “What about me? When is it my turn?” But when God becomes our first priority, our perspective changes.
Jesus summarized our responsibility this way: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength—and love your neighbor as yourself.
Our love for God must become visible through the way we love others.
Consider Miss Thompson, a fifth-grade teacher who initially treated a troubled student named Teddy harshly. His clothes were unkempt, he struggled academically, and he had little support at home. Then she read his school records and learned that his mother had died and his father showed little interest in him.
At Christmas, Teddy gave her a worn bracelet and a half-used bottle of perfume that had belonged to his mother. While the other children laughed, Miss Thompson put on the bracelet and used the perfume.
Teddy later told her, “You smell just like my mother.”
That moment transformed Miss Thompson. She realized she had been seeing Teddy through the wrong lens. She asked God to forgive her and returned the next day as a different teacher.
Her love changed Teddy’s life. He eventually graduated first in his class, became a doctor, and invited Miss Thompson to his wedding to sit where his mother would have sat.
That is what happens when God’s grace changes our focus. Instead of seeing only ourselves and our problems, we begin seeing people as God sees them.
3. Persevere Through the Inevitables
The third step is perseverance.
Paul wrote, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
It is easier to quit than to continue. It is easier to walk away than to resolve a conflict. It is easier to do what we want than what God wants. But God uses the trials of life to develop endurance, character, and spiritual strength.
There is a story of a man named John Scott who was inside a 480-foot mine elevator when it suddenly stopped and plunged downward. Just before reaching the bottom, the emergency brakes engaged. Then the elevator rose again—only to plunge again. This happened repeatedly for two hours.
What John did not know was that engineers were testing the emergency braking system. They had no idea he was inside.
When life feels as though the bottom has dropped out, remember this: God has His hand on the brake. He will never abandon you.
So don’t give up. Press on.
Conclusion
When the inevitabilities of life come, we need more than our own strength. We need God’s transforming grace.
Get into God’s Word, and let God’s Word get into you. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”
As we read and meditate on Scripture, God’s Word becomes firmly planted within us. Then, when life bumps us, the Holy Spirit brings that truth back to our minds so we can respond with wisdom and faith.
Remember Paganini and his one string. You may not be able to control all the strings that break in your life. But you can play the one string God has left in your hands.
And when the inevitabilities come, what spills out of your life will reveal what has been filling your heart.
Let it be God’s transforming grace.
Books by Dennis Lee:
0 Comments