Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Grace Magnets



Grace Magnets

Oh how I desire to be a person of grace. The concept of grace is so beautiful and to see it lived out is one of the most freeing things in the world, in my opinion. I love how my favorite author, Francis Frangipane, describes grace and the ways to become a “magnet” for it.
” [There were] four realities I personally experienced that were fundamental to my ongoing spiritual development. I’ll call these “grace magnets.” What I mean is that walking in these four truths actually attract the grace of God to my life. Remember also that grace is not just unmerited favor, it is the workmanship of God in our lives (see Eph. 2:8-10). We are saved by grace and also changed by grace.
So, what things attract grace (that is, the workmanship of God) to our lives? I narrowed my grace magnets to four principle realities:
1). Passion to be like Christ. Rom 8:28-29. God works all things for the good of our conformity to Jesus Christ. If we expect grace to change us, we must have a vision for the goal God has for us. That goal is Christlikeness.
2). Humility. The Bible says repeatedly that God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud. If we want to change, we must desire humility.
3). Prayer. It is one thing to humble ourselves and become dependent upon God, but prayer liberates us to obtain the promises and provisions of God to meet our needs.
4). Unity. Oneness with other Christians is the first expression of spiritual maturity. We must know the power of Christ in us as individuals, but also the corporate manifestation of Christ, which is actually the substructure of revival. We are to be perfected “into a unit” (John 17). Without the revelation of Christ-centered unity, we have no hope of seeing citywide revival.”
I pray I can truly live into these concepts as I grow in my relationship with God to become a magnet of beautiful, powerful and life-changing grace.