Grace
God's unmerited favor and loving-kindness extended to humanity
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—Eph. 2:8
When we say, "by the grace of God," we are expressing gratitude or acknowledging that a positive outcome, or a personal blessing, is due to God's favor, rather than our own merit or effort. It implies a sense of humility and recognition that we have received something special or unexpected from someone greater than ourselves.
Romans 12 centers on the transformation of believers into a living sacrifice, emphasizing a renewed mind, the importance of spiritual gifts, and the practice of love and service. It calls for non-conformity to the world's ways, instead urging believers to be transformed by God's will.
Romans 12 offers a roadmap for Christian living by emphasizing a life of sacrificial service, transformed thinking, and loving relationships. To apply it to your life, focus on presenting yourself as a living sacrifice to God, renewing your mind through His word, and extending grace and love to others, even your enemies, by overcoming evil with good.
The following was written by one of our stateside staff while volunteering in the red-light area.
By the Grace of God….
Joy for the rescue of a young girl…
Desperation at a madam’s influence over a mother…
Amazement at our perceived authority…
For the moment, the trust to transport a trafficked woman to medical care…
The exhaustion of long hospital nights helping a beaten girl to recover…
Joyful noises mask the stench in the air from our well attended worship service…
We rejoice at the acceptance of a new believer in Christ…
Oh, to be on constant alert, as there is no option…
Don’t try to process, don’t try to compute, it is greed against humanity…
I’ll begin again tomorrow and claim Hope for the day, because it’s only by the Grace of God!
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. Romans 12:3