Grace

"Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:  17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. 18 Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness"                       Acts 13:16-18  NKJV

If you read through Exodus, you can't fail to feel the agitation and anger of the Israelites. They moaned about not having proper food to eat, they grumbled about having to put up with the discomfort of the desert and even had the audacity to say it would have been better for them to remain in Egypt than put up with all of this disruption to their lives. Everything that Moses did was wrong. Yet through it all God was patient with them. Notice the phrase 'He put up with their ways' v18. This is one of the many blessings that are contained within the meaning of 'Grace.'

The Greek word used here in v18 for 'He put up with their ways' is Tropophoreo which means to 'Put up with; 'To bear with'. Other manuscripts read 'Cared for' which literally means 'Carried them as a nurse.' Paul emphasised God's great care for the Israelites in the wilderness. He used the expression here, 'He put up with' as a graphic portrayal of God's patience.

In the bible, the word Grace is defined as God's undeserved favour, which is given freely and cannot be earned. It is a gift that is part of God's character and nature, and is an essential part of the relationship between God and humanity. A great part of this Grace shows God freely giving us salvation because of our faith and belief in Jesus Christ, and this is the only way that we can can receive salvation.

Let us major in on this phrase 'He put up with their ways.'  This is what God does for us through Jesus Christ. Time after time, we let God down, we can almost say that it is daily. But as we repent and ask Jesus to forgive us, Jesus pleads with the Father on our behalf and we receive His love and forgiveness. There is no wagging of fingers towards us; no words such as, 'This is the last time, I'm warning you.' There is none of that. We do not have to feel guilty about what we have done wrong because, Jesus has taken it all away. We may suffer a little shame for what we have done but, when we have confessed our wrongdoing, it is done and dusted. Now that is Grace.

If you were God, could you put with people's ways? I think not because we don't have the type of patience that God has. Yes, He can be an angry God but, because of our relationship with Jesus, our sins are forgiven. This does not however, give us the right to go and do whatever we want to do. Not at all. What it means is that, because we are under Grace, the love and compassion of Jesus envelopes us.

Now when you think about this, seriously, we need to be so grateful for the love that Jesus has for all of us. He paid the price for our sin and gave us a chance in life when people were walking all over us. When we were down on the ground, depressed, drunk, unloved, rejected and without a true friend in the world, Jesus picked us up and carried us until we were strong enough to stand on our own feet. He is the one that threw His arms around us when everyone else walked by. And He is the one that offers you love, compassion and forgiveness when you mess up. What a friend we have in Jesus. Now that's something to sing about!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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