We are forgiven and accepted by God because of the finished work of Jesus. It’s all God’s grace. And yet, God’s grace isn’t reduced to the final judgment and our salvation. Everything in our lives is based on God’s grace. It’s all a gift from him. That includes all our abilities and talents to do the work he has called us to do.
Scripture makes this point in Exodus 4 when God meets with Moses on Mount Sinai in a burning bush. In this account, the Lord commissions Moses to rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. But Moses doesn’t believe he can do such a thing. So the Lord asks him, “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:11).
In the same way, we could ask, “And who made Shaquille O’Neal seven feet tall? And who made Albert Einstein’s brain so big? And who made you so skilled at such and such?”
The answer to all these questions: God did!
In other words, it’s all God’s grace. Yes, our final destiny is based on God’s grace, but also our current purpose is based on God’s grace. He has not just given us grace to rescue us from this world. He has given us the grace to build, organize, teach, write so that we would be a part of this world.
It makes me think of the famous quote from Eric Liddell in the movie Chariots of Fire. When his sister asks him why he stalled his opportunity to be a missionary in order to participate in the Olympics, he says, “I believe God made me for a purpose, for China. But he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure. To give him up will be to hold him in contempt. To win is to honor him.”
In other words, God’s gift of grace is not just for the world to come. He has given us gifts to be used in the here and now. And when we use those gifts, we feel his pleasure.
It is this conviction that led me to write this post. I have been given the ability to write. Sure, there are others who are more gifted at writing. But I have been graced with this ability at this time to serve God and his people.
I pray that this truth would lead you to be faithful with the grace God has given you. He has made you a builder, teacher, health care worker, counselor, architect so you might care for the world that he created and the people in it.
Let’s not wait until the Last Day to enjoy the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s enjoy the grace of God that gives us the ability to serve him in this moment.
