Understanding Grace
God’s grace is so overwhelming! Grace means undeserved pardon, and we certainly do not deserve His grace. Governments of this earth owe their existence to God’s grace. It is because of God’s grace that we continue to draw breath. We are called to repentance and our ears and eyes are opened to understand the Scriptures by God’s grace (2 Cor. 4:3; 1 Cor. 2:12).
We have done nothing to earn grace. It is like salvation, something we cannot earn (Eph. 2:8-9). It is like a bonus turkey an employer gives his employee. He did not earn it; it is a free gift. However, if the employee did not please his employer with good works, he would be fired and there would be no free turkey. If that unworthy employee practiced bad works and bad working habits, he would be fired because when he was hired, he promised his employer he would do good works for him and glorify his business.
In the same way, a true disciple of Jesus Christ agrees to glorify God with a life of good works when he is baptized (Eph. 2:10; Rom. 6:4). God wants people to glorify His name with daily good works and to come out of a life of living daily bad works. Christ is purifying for Himself a people who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).
God did not have to call you to be His servant. He could have called someone else, but He did not. By grace, God called you. So now, make your calling sure. Overcome evil by doing good, thinking good and speaking only what is good, until Christ is formed in you (Rom. 12:21; Psalm 37:27; Gal. 4:19). Then you will become a new creature, complete with the new nature, which comes from serving God by serving others for His glory. As you do these things, you will be worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth (Rom. 12:1; John 4:24; Phil. 3:3). This is how God wants to be worshiped today.