Grace that Empowers

Do you remember a time when your parents asked you to do something new? Maybe you were asked to speak in front of a crowd, order food by yourself, or go to the grocery on your own. Or maybe something even harder. Did you feel scared or nervous? This was also how Zerubbabel felt. Zerubbabel had been told to rebuild God’s temple. Aside from this big task, he was faced with two problems: enemies were against the building project, and God’s people were feeling tired and discouraged. But God had promised Zerubbabel that He would give them grace to finish the task.

Recently, our nation and the world have faced greater and more difficult challenges than just speaking in front of a crowd or buying food by ourselves. The important thing is to remember this: we don’t only have our parents to cheer us on—we have our Father in heaven who will enable us to accomplish what He has assigned to us. Not by might, nor by power, but by God’s Spirit. We will finish the task, not because of our confidence, skills, or talents, but by God’s Spirit!

God makes sure that His will always gets done. In the story above, Zerubbabel worked six more years before the temple was completed! He never gave up even if it took years. He was relying on God’s grace, which gave him strength to finish the task. In the same way, we will be surprised by how much we can accomplish through the Spirit of God.

God is fashioning a different kind of building. This building is us. We can be sure that God will complete the good work that He started in us (Philippians 1:6). And He will not only complete His work in us, but will even work through us for His will to be done.

With God’s grace, we can fulfill His call for our lives.

Reflect

1. When you face challenges, how can you rely on God’s grace? 
2. What challenges are you facing right now? Think about how God is using these challenges to build you up.
   Example: My faith is built up as I trust God to move in my nation’s problems. My patience is built up when I tell people about who Jesus is even when they don’t want to listen.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the grace with which You begin and complete Your good work in me. I know that without Your grace, I can’t do anything You ask. Please remind me that I can do Your will not by might nor by power, but only by Your Spirit. I pray for Your grace to sustain me and help me finish all the tasks You have set for me. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.