The Power of Jesus's Grace to Change your Life

No one can be saved without Jesus’ Grace. Without grace, no one can receive the eternal blessings offered by God. It is a gift. Grace is not earned but freely given because of Christ’s love for us. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Yet, in James, we are told, “Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:20)

So, where do works come in?

Salvation can’t be bought with the currency of obedience. The blood of Jesus Christ purchased salvation. If grace is a gift, why is obedience to His commandments important?

The Parable of the Piano Lesson

John paid for piano lessons for his son, Danny. However, John expected something from Danny. The Father expected Danny to practice.

In his immaturity, Danny may see the practice as unnecessary or burdensome because he can’t understand what his Father has in mind.

Why does John expect Danny to practice? Does the child’s practice repay the Father? No! Is his Father’s insistence that Danny practice a punishment? No!

His Father wants Danny to practice to fully take advantage of an opportunity. The Father delights in Danny’s joy in accomplishment.

If we find Christ’s expectation of obedience burdensome, it is because we don’t understand the wonderful person God wants us to become.

God wants us to practice because He wants us to become ‘new creatures in Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We obey God’s commandments because we love Him. We shed tears of gratitude for Jesus’s willingness to suffer and die so we can return to our Heavenly Father.

We must practice obedience to the commandments. Jesus proclaims: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” It is by practice that He refines and improves us.

Only living the gospel will bring about the mighty change in us that Jesus wants.

Parable of The Milk Jug

I once read a story about a little girl who wanted to carry the milk jug into the house all by herself.

As the girl struggled, her mother picked up the girl and the milk and carried both into the house. Once in the kitchen, the child proudly declared, “Look, Daddy, I carried the milk all by myself.” All the while, being held by her mother.

We can’t be the believers God wants us to become by ourselves. To boast otherwise is like a jockey saying he can win a race without a horse.

Our salvation is dependent on Jesus’s grace.

The Enabling Power of Jesus’s Grace

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighted in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” (Psalms 37:23 – 24)

Moses, Jonah, and Gideon initially felt incapable of God’s task. We are not expected to be prophets. Yet, the quest to become wholehearted believers may feel just as daunting.

Sometimes, we think, how can Jesus love me when I am so unworthy and keep stumbling over the same obstacles? Jesus’s grace can help us navigate the minefields in our lives and get back up when we stumble. His light is not waiting at the end of the tunnel after we become worthy. His light encircles us to buoy us up here and now.

Isaiah tells us, “Hath thou not known. Hath, thou not heard that the everlasting God gives power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.”

Come as you are. The Lord will help you leave a better person. We should focus less on the obedience Jesus expects of us and more on the Lord’s purpose, which is to develop a virtuous character within us.

Remember, Jesus does not love us because we are good. Jesus loves us because He is Good. We don’t need to earn His love because His genuine love for us already exists.

Works Unite Us With Jesus’s Grace

Just as Jesus obeyed the will of the Father, we must abide by the will of Jesus. The Lord expects us to practice by doing good works. Good works are an essential part of shaping our character.

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus admonished us, “To be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is ‘perfect.’ The word perfect can also be translated as ‘finished.’ So, how do we become perfect or finished?

We become fully finished by relying upon the merits of “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2).

We cannot be the followers the Lord wants us to become by ourselves. We reach heaven through our union with Christ, two hearts knit together in love with the same goals and purposes. Hand in hand with Christ, we become worthy. We need Jesus’s grace to be saved.

In other words, we must practice obedience.

The Amazing Grace of Christ

We are expected to follow Jesus’ example. Our works are not required to satisfy justice—Jesus already did that. Our works are required because we love Jesus and strive to be like Him. If we want to be part of His kingdom, which is filled with love, then we, too, must be filled with love.

Every day, He reaches out to us. He desires to heal us and replace the emptiness in our hearts with His divine love. Jesus wants to sweep away the darkness in our lives and fill it with the brilliant light of His everlasting glory. Jesus has the power to transform us.