RELATE

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? – Romans 8:31

It is by Grace that we RELATE to our Heavenly Father, the Almighty God. He has called us into a loving relationship with Himself. Our part is simply to trust and believe in the deep care and sincere compassion He freely extends to us in Christ: “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom.3:24). That also is the profound truth of Romans 8:31b, “…If God be for us, who can be against us?” God is not against you. He is not the kind of father that’s waiting for you to step out of line so that He could unleash fiery judgement to crash down on you. He wants you to enjoy the peace of His unconditional love, not the fear that always accompanies legalism. How beautiful it is to experience the liberty and joy of a graceful, love relationship with God. Yet, there are so many who still insist on relating to God in a legalistic way. Their righteousness is based essentially on what they can do for the Lord instead of what He has already done for them. They bear around a huge burden of “do’s and don’ts” to supposedly keep them bound to God. That is not the divine order.

When we discover the amazing Grace of God, we’ll learn to relate to Him not on the basis of our works, or of our righteousness, but on the basis of His love for us through Jesus Christ. Righteousness is not a matter of great willpower and grit effort; or our relationship with God will become a tremendous strain; a draining, joyless experience. Adhering to rules and regulations, good as these are, cannot produce a love relationship. Love is the fulfilment of the Law; and the Master confirmed that the two great commandments centered on loving the Lord with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself (Mk.12:30-31). Grace is what makes life worth living. It is what makes life – abundant, fulfilling, real and satisfying life – possible at all. When your eyes are open to the astonishing truth that your relationship with God does not depend upon the puny pebbles of self-effort but upon the massive rock of His unchanging and loving character, life opens up before you with awesome possibilities.

Oh! That we’ll discover the wonder of God’s Grace that flows in the atmosphere of divine love! We’ll no longer be locked in by the law. We’ll find ourselves longing to please God simply because we love Him. We can then approach life stress-free because we love God and would never want to do anything to harm the loving relationship we have with Him. When we know the joy of fellowship with Him, we wouldn’t want any barriers, blocks or strain to come between us. The more we experience His Love, the more He becomes the primary Motivation and Focus of our lives. And that is the greatest joy in life – to engage in a genuine love relationship with God. To know that He is for you; that He loves you; is the greatest source of security you will ever know.

Grace changes everything! That simple, well-worn, but rarely understood word – grace – makes of all of the difference in life. Grace transforms bleak and desolate plains into rich, green pastures. It changes lifeless routine and dreary duty into loving, enthusiastic service. It exchanges the guilt and tears of our failed efforts for the holy laughter and eternal thrill of freely offered pleasures at the right hand of God. How amazing it is to discover the deep joy of living in God’s grace! Our standing with God depends not on our own weak efforts but on what His Almighty Arm has accomplished for us!