As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: (I Peter 4:10)

When asked “what is grace,” the word is most often defined as “unmerited favor.” Yet, grace involves so much more. It empowers us to do the will of God, to forgive when it’s hard, to do what would be impossible on our own; from walking in wisdom to building businesses to loving the unlovely.

The grace of God is extended to us in many forms: in salvation, in our spiritual and natural gifts, in our accomplishments, and in our experiences.  As we’re called to freely give because we freely received (Matthew 10:8), we are called to both receive grace and extend it to others.

How do we do this? One way is to be like Christ in His sacrificial love. Let’s consider what our Lord gave up (Philippians 2:7-8). He gave up the most for the sake of the least. If Jesus extended that kind of selfless love to us, we’re obliged to extend it to others.

Every gift of time, every act of service, every favor we do; these are reflections of the sacrificial love and grace of our Lord. By deliberately losing something (time, energy, focus, the chance of to do something else) so that others may gain, we extend His grace.

I say this, “if we want to be like Christ, we need to look for ways we can be like Him. Christ, our Lord, gave up power, glory, and position because that is what He had. What do you have?  Time? Money? Opportunity? Talent? Imitate our Lord by sacrificing that for others, and you will be a good steward of the grace of God.

Showing grace to others is about showing kindness even when they don’t deserve it.  God has shown us much grace.  We, in turn, are asked to show grace to each other. Amen!

Giving up is not normally in our vocabulary as Christians.  The Corinthians were encouraged by Paul to stick with working effectively for the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).  Paul also motivates Christians in the Colossians letter to remain faithful (Colossians 1:23) and not move away or give up in order to be holy and blameless in Christ.  Again there is a word of instruction to hold onto Christ in order to be a fellow partaker of all of the rich blessings found only in Him (Hebrews 3:14). The message given over and over is don’t give up on Christ because it will be detrimental to your soul!

 However, I want you to consider giving up but for a totally different reason and in doing so it will be a blessing to your life as a Christian.  Consider a quote by a man named Rupertus Meldenius (aka Peter Meiderlin), “In matters of faith, UNITY; in matters of opinion, LIBERTY; in all things, CHARITY” which was adopted by our restoration leaders during the restoration movement.  You might remember that I couldn’t remember this exact quote recently in a Bible Study class. The idea is this, we stand firm on matters of faith but when there are matters of opinion, we have a right to liberty (or freedom) but we must always use love.  We must never be a stumbling block to our brethren. Forfeiting our freedom for the sake of others expresses a selfless way of thinking which is a wonderful characteristic of a Christian (Philippians 2:4).

I love a statement that I heard Dan Winkler used once, “keep your fingers on the pulse of one another’s sensitivities” (not an exact quote) in order not to be a “stumbling block” in the faith.  You see, there are times when we must let go of our “freedom” to be a greater blessing to others and “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” – Ephesians 4:3 

 So, “GIVE UP” for the sake of others!

I want to continue a discussion that we had in our Wednesday Bible study recently from 1 Corinthians chapter 9.  Paul uses himself as a personal example of self-denial  by stating he could have been paid by the church for service in ministry.  However, he chose to give up his personal liberty by not accepting compensation and decided to work so that he wouldn’t be a stumbling block to others (He mentions this same concept in 2 Thessalonians 3:8-9). As he discusses with the Corinthian Christians whether it is ok to eat meat that had previously been offered to idols (8:9-13) he employs a radical idea and that is to give up a personal liberty for the LOVE OF UNITY.

This liberty that Paul could have enjoyed (being paid for ministry) could potentially cause a brother to sin.  He didn’t want to be a stumbling block to others by eating meat offered to idols (a liberty the Corinthians could have enjoyed) but would be placing a stumbling block in a brothers path.  A freedom that Paul ultimately says is not worth participating in because the stakes are too high. He never wanted to lose a brother or sister or cause them to stumble!  The stronger response spiritually is to forfeit a personal liberty for the LOVE of UNITY.

There is a much bigger picture here to consider than eating meat offered to idols. Paul was very concerned over the church dividing (1:10-11). The concern in chapter 8:9-13 was one of many issues confronting the church at Corinth and a reason for causing division.  Quick question...Do we really desire to “win” souls or arguments? Is it about getting what “I” want with no “HIGHER way” option only my way?  Do we only desire the ultimatums we establish and the lines we draw in the sand?  Remember Paul’s ultimatum?  GIVE UP your liberty, freedoms, and personal agenda for a greater cause….UNITY!

Think about the direction the church at Corinthian was heading in by being selfish over opinions and issues and it wasn’t a good one. They were going to split the fellowship, sever friendships, and divide the church which would have created more skeptics. The church would have an ugly cloud covering their influence in the community which wouldn’t have been beneficial to the Lord!  The beautiful blessing for the Corinthians is they took Paul’s advice and the church was blessed as a result (read 2 Corinthians). It takes a stronger person spiritually to submit, be humble, and penitent in the presence of brethren and before God.

Paul had one thing on his mind and that was to NEVER be a hindrance to the Gospel of Christ by letting his personal preferences keep the weaker brethren from running the race of faith and winning the ultimate prize which is eternal life with God. Let’s be determined to do the same for the LOVE of UNITY. 

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” — 1 Corinthians 15:58

“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.  Then He opened His mouth and taught them.”  Matthew 5:1-2

For years during the summer, I visited my first cousin in Taos, New Mexico. We would fish in the mountain rivers. Some areas would still have snow. We would hike the trails to find the best fishing spots, but we would also look for a place to sit and take in the wonderful spender, tranquil peace, and talk about God.

When you think of the Sermon on the Mount, do we see Jesus (as Hollywood has coached us) perched on a high rock up in the hills, teaching the multitudes, or do we see Him walking through tall grass on the mountainsides, reciting the Beatitudes as He maneuvers among masses congregated there?  Hmmm…?

Scripture says our Lord walked away from the crowd, headed into the hills, and found a place to sit. When His closest followers came to Him, Jesus taught them. This is a picture of intimate impartation to those seeking him, not a scene with stage lights, microphones, and megachurch-like multitudes.

Men too often long for the soapbox and the spotlight. They want to hear the applause and the “Amen.” But Jesus looks for faithfulness in little things. (Luke 16:10) He calls us to feed our own households and teach our own children first and foremost (Matt 24:45; Ephesians 6:4; 1Tim 5:8). Whether or not we’re called to speak to the many, we must often step away from the crowds and find a place to sit with the few in our lives that are right in front of us.

Have you ever been told God’s ways are not our ways? I was told this a lot by my grandparents and parents and they expressed this with compassion and conviction.  I remember listening to my grandmother who lived next door us read this scripture to me all the time: 

 “Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name” Psa. 86:11

God’s ways are not our ways, and a brief overview of the gospel offers a powerful case and point.

The Almighty‘s only Son left His throne and took on flesh. He came to serve - and He did so in a miraculous, meek, and humble way. Our Lord healed people of their infirmities: when HE spoke the word or touched the broken body, the lame walked, the blind saw, and the deaf heard. He forgave sin and taught us the fulfilled law of God. “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” Matt. 5:38-39.  Sometimes this is very hard to do but, our Lord submitted to death on the cross after a completely illegal and unfair trial by both Romans and Jews. He modeled sacrificial love in the ultimate way as He died to atone for our sins.

God’s ways are not our ways, are they? Who would have imagined such a gift, such an act of amazing grace on our behalf? Our God is not a sinful, self-centered human being. We don’t think like He does. We must allow God to open our hearts to receive His truth, and then He must teach us His ways if we are to live by them.

May the psalmist’s prayers be ours: “Make me to know your ways, O Lord: teach me your paths. Teach me Your way, Unite my heart to fear  Your name”.