Grace Given

Good day to you, hope you are well. I would like to take a minute today and point all of us to an important remembrance.

You see, each of us have been given some very important things from the Lord that create the landscape of expression on the world around us. In other words, God has a scope of work and impact for your life. Understand it this way, not only does God give you a spiritual gift, he also has determined the degree to which you will use that gift in this world.

My hope is that we can all walk in peace and be satisfied in who God has made us to be. We can also release the idea that I need to do the things that others do. Or that I need to have the passion and spirituality that other people have.

Whenever we find ourselves comparing ourselves with others, that is the beginning of a woeful trip. I particularly like this passage in Romans because it clearly brings into focus our connectivity with each other and at the same time, our individuality.     

Romans 12:3-8 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

The writer uses the phrase, “For by the grace given to me…” Clearly, he wants the reader to understand that the grace he has, he did not acquire on his own. Paul did not learn it or earn it. The grace he has been given qualifies him to make the statement he is about to deliver to his reader.

Grace in this context means outworking. He is saying, inside of the flow of God’s glory, which is the Father’s love made manifest to me through Jesus, I am going to say some things to you that are in keeping with what the grace of God supplies. The grace of God supplies a benefit to you.

There is truth and wisdom that is flowing through the writer to the reader. It is the grace [chasis] of God given to Paul that enables Paul to say what is coming next.

Paul challenges his reader with the notion (truth) that since you too are given a gift from the Lord, don’t think of yourself as more important than anyone else because of a certain gift that you may have.

I believe what Paul is getting at is that some of the gifts may warrant a platform ministry of some sort, and because there may be more people gathered at the platform, we should not base our sense of self worth or importance to the number of people who might be impacted at the platform.

Since we have been given the grace (outworking) by God to begin with, it is pointless to take credit for the impact – it is all God.

This is such a problem that it is even addressed in other parts of the New Testament. Those who operate in an assumption of self-importance based on the gift given are often identified in the New Testament by the word “false” in front of their, often self-imposed title.

Paul says to think with sober judgment. He wants the reader to think about this. We already know that he ascribes to God the gift that enables him to speak to his readers, now he says to the readers that they should do the same.

He affirms that the grace or outpouring of his gift comes from God and assumes that this also applies to the reader. He goes further and says about the reader that even the resident faith to believe in God and the gift given by God comes from God as well.

There is nothing to boast about, because every expression of God in a person comes from God. And then he throws into the mix the word measure.

Did you know that your measure is different than mine? When I measure coffee for my morning jo, I divvy out 25 grams. My wife on the other hand, likes 21 grams. My coffee is stronger, not by much, but it is certainly not better, simply different.

Paul says there is a measure of faith. In some scholars minds this word measure means persuasion. The degree to which I can express the grace given to me. The amount of gift that can flow through me. All of this is determined by God before you were born. So, don’t even try to build an identity upon the number of people who are touched by what God has given to you. Build your identity on what God has done for you.

And don’t compare yourself with others. Rejoice and be glad for what God has given to you.

Grace and faith are gifts from God. He loves you deeply.

Father, the enemy is always trying to make us think things that are contrary to your words to us. Please forgive us for thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought or comparing ourselves with others. Lord, help us see what You see, and help us to be grateful for what we have in Christ. Thank You Jesus for making grace and faith available to us.

Blessings, 
Pastor D