The Magnificent Grace of God DevotionalSample

The Magnificent Grace of God Engages Us (Part 1)

God offers grace so that we may experience the true freedom of being dead to sin and alive in Christ (Romans 6:11). But walking according to the grace God has given means we must participate with the gift He offers. If we begin to rest on our laurels and think that the desires of the flesh won’t try and entangle us in sin, we are sorely mistaken.

That is why in Galatians 5:1, God not only reminds us of the freedom He has given, but also tells us what we must do to gain access to that freedom – that is, we must “stand firm.” In its original Greek, to “stand firm” means to persevere in godliness, in one’s fellowship with the Lord. It means to maintain your allegiance to freedom and not be subject again to the yoke of slavery. It means, my friends, if we are to walk by the Spirit so as to not gratify the desires of the flesh, then you and I have a role to play.

For inasmuch as grace doesn’t give us a pass for our sin to abound (Romans 6:1-2), freedom doesn’t give us a pass to do whatever we want either. It’s quite the opposite actually since a greater level of freedom requires a greater level of responsibility. Thus, there are rules of engagement that God has laid out for us in His Word that will not only protect us and allow us to stand firm but will also snuff out the enemy’s attempts to silence the grace found at the cross.

Today, we are going to discuss the first rule of engagement and will look at three more in tomorrow’s devotional.

Rule #1: Renew your mind towards gratitude.

Did you know that gratitude towards God is a weapon of spiritual warfare? When Jehoshaphat sent the worship choir into battle in 2 Chronicles 20, we’re told that their song was this:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever.”

Scripture goes on to say that as they sang songs of praise to God, God set up ambushes and defeated their enemies. Their gratitude towards Him went before them as a banner of faith, allowing them to stand firm in the battle.

Friends, it’s so important that we get this. Because our gratitude towards God can allow us to stand firm in our battles too.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord…to declare Your goodness in the morning and Your faithfulness by night.” (Psalm 92:1-2)

So, as we close out our time today, let us be intentional to engage in gratitude. Let us, “give thanks every morning for the mercies of the night, and every night for the mercies of the day; going out, and coming in, let us bless God.” (Matthew Henry)