The Grace Impact

Guest Post by Nancy Kay Grace

Every space on the family calendar was full of activities—sports events, music lessons, and youth group competed for our kids’ attention. Often I had to be two places at the same time and needed help with transportation. In spite of my best efforts to organize the calendar, I felt overwhelmed, over committed and exhausted.

It was during this overloaded time that I read 2 Corinthians 9:8.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things at all times, may have an abundance for every good work.” (NKJV)

I learned more about the Lord and the grace He gives us—not just the precious saving grace found in the life of Jesus Christ, but the grace that supports us every day.

The first words of the verse grabbed my attention–God is able to make all grace abound to us. He is the God of all grace, the great comforter, and the good shepherd. God’s nature of holiness, love, and redemption are woven together by His grace—we are drawn to His holiness by grace, God’s love provided the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ through whom we are redeemed. We don’t deserve this gift, but it is freely given. God alone is able to set in motion what I call the “grace impact”—His ability to work in and through any situation, revealing His love and forgiveness to us, thereby drawing us to Himself, ultimately through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After we respond to His grace through Jesus Christ, we have the daily choice to follow the Lord. God is able to make all grace abound.

The next part of the verse states that He provides sufficient grace in all things. The Lord provides the strength needed to live the Christian life; we can’t do it on own. The Holy Spirit leads and develops the fruit of the spirit develops as we depend more on Him. In John 15:5 we read,

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Remaining, or abiding in Christ is a lifelong process of nurturing faith through seeking the Lord through worship, studying the Word, and prayer. His grace is enough as we abide in Christ. Dr. Jack Hayford has said, “Grace is the footing upon which God calls us to build in faith.”

Grace, because it comes from God, will help us love when it’s hard, forgive when it’s difficult, and persevere when we’d rather quit. By looking to the Lord, we continue to see God’s unmerited favor in every stage of life.

The Lord also equips us with ample grace at all times. Grace covers every detail of life, not just the good things, but also the difficult, sad and complicated things. Grace helps keep me focused on God, not on the problems. This shift offers a different perspective to handling challenges. Knowing that God can use everything for His good helps us live through difficult times.

The grace of God sustained me as I stood by my mother’s bedside in her last hours. Although I felt the weight of grief and loss, I also knew a deep peace from the presence of the Lord. Grace was present in my despair.

The last phrase of 2 Corinthians 9:8 shows how grace works through the believer to have abundance for every good work. Grace begins with God and then flows to us for the journey of life and through us so we can share grace with the hurting world. It is because of God’s grace at work in us that we can live with confidence in God. Any loving act of kindness or forgiveness is a result of His grace. Jesus said,

“You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14,16).

We have a responsibility to live a life of grace, letting the love of Christ shine through us. The ripples of the impact of grace extend outward to reach more people.

Even in our busy lives with full calendars, we can be grace givers to our families, neighbors, and co-workers. We are blessed to be a blessing. Our desire to serve God is motivated by our love for all He has done for us. We are to extend the grace impact to the grace-starved world so that others may know the ultimate life-changing grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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This article is based on Nancy Kay Grace’s devotional book, The Grace Impact. It is 30 short chapters to help the reader gain a deeper understanding of God’s grace.

Nancy Kay Grace is speaker and author who is captivated by God’s grace and loves to share about embracing it in everyday life. She has contributed stories to several anthologies and published magazine articles. Nancy is married to her best friend, Rick. They have served the Lord for more that forty-five years, seeing His grace at work in many countries. Now they enjoy the stage of life with two married children and an increasing number of grandchildren. To learn more about her ministry and sign up for her blog and GraceNotes newsletter, please visit https://www.nancykaygrace.com.

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