Strategy of Grace

Strategy of Grace


God has a master plan for the world. The whole history of mankind is about unfolding God’s story. God uses strategy of grace to advance his master plan. God wants to touch everyone with his redeeming love.

It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”(Romans 1: 16-17, MSG)

God’s master plan is beyond amazing and it takes the whole Bible to explain it. But his strategy of grace is the most wonderful part of the plan. God doesn’t force us into anything but he gently invites us into relationship with him. And he made all this possible by giving us himself in Jesus as the way back to him.

We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven’t a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn’t have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That’s why we have this Scripture text:
   No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this,
   Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—
   What God has arranged for those who love him.
But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.
(1 Cor. 2:6-10, MSG)

God’s strategy of grace is incarnated in Jesus. He is the way back to God. But the way is not a joy-ride. It is the way of crucifixion. And we have been called to follow him. It isn’t indeed a fashionable way. But it is life-giving, life-empowering way. It is the way where we lose everything to find everything we wanted the first place. By dying with Christ we are also raised up with Christ for real life, real love, real joy. It does sound crazy. But it works. God’s strategy of grace works beautifully. Because it is not about us. It is about God and his goodness, his love and grace towards us.

God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth. This is the life of the Spirit he invited you to through the Message we delivered, in which you get in on the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ.(2 Thessalonians 2: 13-14, MSG)

God’s master plan is global yet personal. God loves you! He wants to pour grace upon grace on you! Do you send his gifts back? Or do you open your heart to Jesus and enter into the life of the Spirit he is inviting you?

 

Gracious God,
Your master plan is so wonderful.
We don’t deserve your love and grace.
But, yes, we open our hearts to you,
come and live in us.
Be our way, our truth, our way.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

 

Q4U: How have you been able to see God’s plan in your life?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you continue your faith journey according to God’s master plan!

Image courtesy of Joel Barr. Linking up today with What’s on My Heart Tuesdays & One Word at a Time: Strategy Blog Carnival & It’s not about me Novemeber

FYI: There is a new blog hop every weekend at Flowing Faith. It’s called Weekend Prayer Wall and the aim is to create a chain of prayers. So, join us, either in linking up your prayer post or praying in the comment section! Thank you! See you there!

18 thoughts on “Strategy of Grace

  1. Sometimes I think God’s strategy is so complex (and it is, in the details), but then it’s also very simple. He gave us Jesus. And yes, Mari-Anna, it is global, yet personal. Wonderful!

  2. Mari-Anna, beautiful post.
    “God’s strategy of grace works beautifully”. Indeed! His strategy may not make sense at first, but we just have to trust him.
    Answering your question, this year I quit my job in order to follow a goal that God put in my heart. I don’t know (yet) exactly what I am supposed to do, I don’t have the details, but I trust that He will guide through his plan.
    In the meantime, I am preparing for the ride: reading more and studying God’s Word, and reading books and sites from godly people about missions, helping the needy, etc.

  3. strategy of grace – I love this! God’s strategy is grace is amazing (no wonder they called the song “Amazing Grace” :))

  4. Answering Q4U: I can’t really see His plan, especially the details, stretching out in the distance ahead of me, but I have certainly seen His hand in the last several months. Too long to tell here; I posted (#4) at Beholding Glory today, telling about it.

  5. I never cease to be amazed by God’s ability to operate globally and still have personal, intimate relationship with me. It places each of us into HIStory as a unique piece of that master plan—a piece without which the plan would be incomplete. : ) Nice post, Mari-Anna.

  6. So true.  If it wasn’t for God’s grace, I can’t even imagine where I’d be in anything but a sad, horrible life.  He truly “strategized” for a period of time, pouring grace into my life to prepare my heart to hear and receive him 45-1/2 years ago.  Blessed beyond belief.

  7. How deep is His Grace? Deeper than we can know.  His ways are past finding out.  I liked the way you explained that His grace was first to the Jew, but then to everybody else!   All of us can come to God and by His grace, His PLAN is to receive us!

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