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Grace takes you from where you are in your walk with God, to where He wants you to be.
He lifts you up in life, and draws you closer to Him, even as He rules and reigns over all ‘Both riches and honor come from you, and you reign over all. In your hand is power and might. In your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all’. [1 Chronicles 29:12]
The prayer of David above, acknowledges it, teaching also invaluable truth, as it declares that God is the source of true riches and honor, that He is always in sovereign control over all, and it lies in His power to give strength and lift you up in your life.
True riches and grace –
Riches in the eyes of God is more than money and possessions; it also means being rich in faith, in good works and in being rich toward God. It is the enduring wealth that is connected to the grace of Christ For, you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that through His poverty you may become rich. [2 Corinthians 8:9]
For, you know the grace of Christ –
Having experienced salvation, the apostle Paul presumes in you, the knowledge of the completeness of Christ’s saving action on the Cross, the dimensions of it.
For, the grace of Christ has two sides to it –
Firstly, Christ has accomplished it all on the Cross for you, everything that you need in life. And if you do not believe in this truth, you will have to depend on yourself to attain something that only God can give you. If you do not believe that Christ has died for your sins, you will have to die for it yourself ! For, there can be no forgiveness of sins, without the shedding of blood.
Secondly, He appropriates in your life, what He has purchased for you on the Cross of Calvary. And may this whole truth be written powerfully in the tablet of your heart, that your mind may be renewed, to see restoration come in all areas of your life. For, it is only with a right understanding of this truth that you will know why He who was rich became poor on the Cross, that you may become rich.
The grace and peace connection –
The apostle Peter, even as he connects the grace of God and peace, describes what is contained in the grace of God, as he begins his second epistle May grace and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. [2 Peter 1:2] Peter reveals that the key lies in knowing and understanding the truth of what Christ has already accomplished on the Cross, and what He is now appropriating in your life through it.
As His divine power has given all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. [vs 3] By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. [vs 4]
You have therefore, provision to prosper in your life.
For, what is prosperity ?
Prosperity is nothing but having all that you need in life, in order to live a godly life, one that fulfills God’s purposes for you. And therefore, setting forth the truth of the scripture above in simple terms, you have –
1) Power – provision for prosperity in your life
2) Protection – to escape the corruption of the world. The righteous will suffer no harm.
3) Promises – through which you become partakers of the divine nature, made righteous by His Blood that was shed for you on the Cross.
And, it is grace, through peace that brings it into your life.
Peace –
Peace can be described as a state of wholeness in your being that comes as a result of the removal of all lack in your entire being in your spirit, soul and body. In the journey of life, every person in some way or the other, at some point of time, experiences lack. It can be financial, physical, emotional, whatever.
But, it is then that the peace that comes through His grace enters in, and permeates the place of lack to bring wholeness. And it is all because, grace has done everything for your life to be made whole.
‘Shalom’, was the greeting that the people of God exchanged amongst themselves, in the Old Testament times. It means wholeness, and even today is a word that can be spoken as a blessing over a person’s life. For, the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat it’s fruit, says the word of God. [Proverbs 18:21] Appropriation happens therefore, of the ‘shalom’ that is spoken, in the person who receives the greeting, and he goes on to experiences peace and wholeness.
Peace that comes in you, through the grace of Christ, what He has accomplished for you, brings well being in your spirit, soul and body, to make you whole.
1) Peace heals you, in your body –
‘Daughter, go in peace and be healed of your affliction’. [Mark 5:34]
The lady, with the issue of blood for twelve long years, heard these words from the Savior, as she reached out to touch the hem of His garment and experienced healing in her body. A familiar incident, and familiar words they may be, but it does not negate the significance of each word that the Lord spoke to the woman. For, heaven and earth may pass away, but His word will never pass away.
‘Daughter’, He addressed her, which in itself would have touched her miraculously. And then He said to her, ‘Go in peace and be healed of your affliction’. One version of this verse says, ‘Go into peace and be healed’. It reiterates the truth that Peace is healing. The connection between the two is made abundantly clear in the Lord’s words. A truth which seems very simple, for truth is often times very simple !
How does it come about ?
Christ, Himself, is your peace –
When you receive Christ into your heart, you become a new creation in Him. And, He Himself is your peace, declares the word of God. [Ephesians 2:14] Christ in you, therefore, is His peace in you, the peace that is wholeness. It is healing that makes you whole, healed of your affliction, without lack in any area of your life.
Affliction is more than just physical –
Suffering for twelve long years, spending money in medical treatment, and not getting better would have certainly depleted the resources of the sick woman, in more ways than one. Financially and emotionally too, she would have been experiencing severe lack and pain.
And, it was then, in her desperate condition that she heard about the Lord Jesus; and what hope it must have birthed in her ! It led to her drawing near the Lord in the crowd of people, to touch the hem of His robe, and experience a miraculous healing. She believed the reports of others being healed by the Lord; and more importantly believed that she also would be healed.
You also can be healed –
It was the doubt that the Lord dispelled in the mind of the leper, to reach out and touch Him saying, ‘I am willing, be healed’. And many even today have a similar doubt in them. They know and believe that Jesus can heal, but do not have the faith to receive it for themselves, in their own bodies, in their personal circumstances. But it need not, and should not be so.
Also, affliction can be more than just physical; it can also be the pressure of troubling circumstances, and the antagonism of people. But in all your suffering or affliction, whatever it may be, Christ in you, is the peace which heals you.
Touching the hem of His garment –
It was how the sick woman received healing – by physically touching the hem of His robe. But today, having clarity and receiving the right understanding of the truth of God’s word is in itself sufficient to bring healing in you. For, it is when you know the truth, that you are set free. And the Spirit of God in you, His anointing upon you leads you into all truth.
Receiving the peace that brings healing –
‘Call unto Me, and I will answer you, and reveal to you deep and hidden things, that you do not know’, says the Lord. [Jeremiah 33:3] And, the Almighty God also goes on to say, what He was going to do in the lives of the people next. ‘Indeed, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them, and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth’. [Jeremiah 33:8]
Peace in abundance comes to you when you know the truth of the abundance that has been accomplished and prepared for you through the Cross. They are the benefits which the familiar psalm describes, that your soul may forget it not.
Your sins forgiven & your diseases healed –
He forgives all your sins; He heals all your diseases. [Psalm 103:3] On the Cross He has accomplished it all. He has carried away all your sins, your sicknesses and diseases. The punishment for the sins of the world was laid upon Him, and by His stripes you are healed.
Sickness can come to any one, for it is a fallen world. It need not necessarily be due to some secret sin in you ! That would be getting the wrong end of the stick. Some diseases carry a stigma in the eyes of the world – but the loving Savior turns it around. The lepers in the old covenant were considered unclean, and anyone who touched them were said to be defiled. Lord Jesus though, inaugurated the new covenant, where he laid hands on them to heal them, and make them whole.
It is the power of grace –
It is by grace, that all your sins, past, present and future, have been forgiven on the Cross. But does that mean that you can go around committing whatever sin that you are led to ?. Surely not; the truth is that, now grace gives you the power to say ‘no’ to any sin that had held you bondage in the past, that you may overcome it. You can now walk in freedom, not shackled by sin and shame.
The role of the doctor –
King Hezekiah’s recovery from the sickness that would have led to his death teaches a valuable lesson. [2 kings 20:1–7] God heard his earnest prayer for healing and granted his request. The answer came to him through the prophet Isaiah, saying God would heal him and add fifteen years to his life. The prophet also conveyed the instruction from God, which was to apply a poultice of figs on the boil. And the king recovered.
It serves to resolve the wrong belief that arises in the mind of many children of God, that going to a doctor, taking the medicine that he prescribes, is a sign of not trusting God. But it is definitely not what the Lord prescribes for you. For when you are sick, there are innumerable ways in which God can and will heal you. And, going to a local doctor to follow the treatment that He prescribes may be one of them.
Therefore, to know His specific word of guidance for you, go to the Lord in prayer first. Go to the Doctor, and then do whatever He asks you to do, including going to a physician, if He says so. But let there not be any doubt at all in you, that on the Cross, all your sins have been forgiven, and all your diseases healed.
Rejoice in the truth with thanksgiving, and experience divine peace and healing in you.
Indeed, may grace and peace be multiplied in you !
2) Peace – saves you, heals your soul :
It was when Lord Jesus sat down to eat at the house of Simon, the Pharisee a woman came to the Lord, broken and wounded in her soul. And the only name defining her in that city was, a ‘sinner’. But, at the end of the incident, she heard these words of compassion from the loving Savior.
‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace’. [Luke 7:50] For, what happened was the Lord’s work of grace in her, even as she knelt in penitent tears, anointing His feet with oil. And, the Lord who knew the wrong thoughts in the mind of the Pharisee, pointed out the truth to him, that the one who is forgiven more, loves more.
The problem of sin –
Her problem was not physical. It was the problem of sin; one that damages the soul. And all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. It is the truth of God’s word. Therefore, sin needs to be dealt with in repentance and faith. For, otherwise sin will lead to guilt in a person, and the accuser of the brethren will have field day, tormenting the mind of the person. It will lead to a place of shame, when it is not just what you have done, but you begin to think that you yourself are condemned and worthless, which is a place of despair and tragic hopelessness.
But the overwhelming truth is that, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And now therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; the law of Spirit and life has set you free from the law of sin and death. And by believing in faith, you receive all that He has done for you on Calvary.
The place of faith –
Grace has accomplished it all on the Cross of Calvary. And faith is your positive response to what God provides. Jesus asked the man lying paralyzed at the pool of Bethesda, for thirty eight years, ‘Do you want to be made well ?’. Today, He asks the same of you and I. He has done it all on Calvary. What He needs is the positive response in faith, to what grace has made available.
The rich young man came to the right person, but went away disappointed, for His response was not right.
Ask and you shall receive –
Faith receives what grace has made available. But the flip side to it is also equally true. Faith cannot receive what grace has not made available. There is a huge difference between receiving something, and grabbing something. You cannot receive from God, unless He gives it to you. You are going to a God who says, ‘Ask and you will receive’.
Grace gives; and faith is the positive response to it, with which you receive. When you go through sickness, it is His grace that heals you. And asking Him in prayer, and saying ‘Amen’ to it, is your positive response of faith that receives.
All that you need for life & godliness –
The revelation knowledge of the grace of Christ will reveal to you that God’s divine power in you, has given you all things pertaining to life and godliness. Grace has provided all that you need to live a life for the glory of God. ‘Having all that you need for life and godliness’ is wholeness; the wholeness which is peace.
Grace reveals, and in a positive response to it, faith receives.
3) Peace – leads to satisfaction & fulfillment –
He was a very old man; but Simeon knew what grace had provided for him. And by grace through faith, he knew that he would not see death until he saw the salvation of Israel, the birth of the Messiah. It was the one unfulfilled promise from God in his life. To the Jewish people at that time, there was only one temple, and many parents, like Mary and Joseph, would have brought their infants on that day, to be dedicated. But, it is where the leading of the Spirit operates.
And Simeon came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, he took Him up in his arms, and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word’. [Luke 2:29] Departing in peace, was to Simeon, all about going to his eternal, heavenly Home in peace, having seen the fulfillment of God’s promise in his life.
No regrets, but rejoicing –
You and I, all have dreams and desires; and a few regrets too, concerning unforeseen events that caught us by surprise. Or there may be a promise from God that is yet to be fulfilled. But grace and peace being multiplied in your life, will see you end life’s chapter here in this world, to begin an eternal one in heaven, not with regrets, but in rejoicing.
For, in Him, in the sufficiency of His grace, your tragic ‘if only’ can be replaced by ‘what now ?’. And you will experience the peace that leads to satisfaction and not regret. Christ tasted death for all of us, and rose again, to be alive now, forevermore. It is the hope and rejoicing that peace can bring in your heart and mine this day.
For, He is faithful –
Now, may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. [1 Thessalonians 5:23,24] It is the tremendous assurance that comes to you, from the God of peace Himself.
He will do exactly as He has said, to give you wholeness for He has promised to preserve your spirit, soul and body until His coming. He is a faithful God, and He will do it in your life. You can even now therefore, with rejoicing proclaim, ‘It is well with my soul’.
Thank the Lord for all the blessings that He has already showered you with. His grace will work in you, to turn all your regrets into rejoicing. For your life is not complete, until Christ writes the joyous last chapter of it; therefore it is indeed well with your soul. In your life and mine we have a very good ending; we all win, to reign with Him forever and ever.
May peace like a river flow into your soul that you may be healed of all affliction, guilt, and condemnation that leads to unfruitfulness. May rejoicing come instead, for he Lord has accomplished everything concerning you on the Cross of Calvary, to see you richly redeemed and reveling in His love.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
