Grace Empowers

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.    —2 Corinthians 3:18

Tiffany Dawn, the author of the Insatiable Quest for Beauty, spoke last week at the Johnstown Christian School. She helped us to see who we are as children of God and urged us to stop trying to be someone else to please others. She related a story along these lines. A father was sitting in his study, and his two-year old daughter came in and climbed up onto his lap. As he read her a story, she fell asleep in his arms. His wife walked past the door, and dad motioned her in. With heartfelt, tearful eyes, the father said, “Look at her toes. I just love her toes.”

Our Father in heaven loves us that much and more. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). God not only loves us, but He actually likes us and delights in us. You and I may no longer have cute, baby toes, but God thinks we are something special.

I have read that up to around three months of age, a baby’s eyes do not focus on objects more than 8 to 10 inches away. If you think about it, that is about the distance from a nursing mother’s breast to her face. Before three months of age, what more does a baby need to see but the face of a loving, caring mother. As children of God, we see the Lord in a way that the world cannot see Him. As we look to God, we see and reflect the glory of the Lord and are transformed into God’s image. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

The Gospel repeatedly emphasizes that we are saved by God’s grace. Salvation is a gift that cannot be earned or deserved. God loves us so much that He gives us eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23, John 3:16). Often we look on grace as the soft cuddly side of God, but grace is much more than a blanket covering our sins as we snuggle onto God’s lap. Grace is the power of God to transform us and enable us to become more like Christ, live a godly life, and witness effectively.

Plagued by a physical weakness, “a thorn in the flesh,” Paul asked the Lord three times to remove it. Instead of physically healing Paul, God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The grace of God was the power of God made perfect and active in Paul weakness.

It matters not what challenges, addictions, weaknesses, and habitual sins we face, God’s grace is sufficient. God’s grace is powerful enough for our every circumstance. We, children of God beholding the glory of the Lord, can do all things through His grace and power.

Jesus loves you. Trust Him as Savior and Lord, and He will come into your life and fill you with His Spirit. Picture God wrapping you in His loving arms, covering you with His blanket of grace and mercy. You are safe, protected, and loved. Look into the face of your heavenly Father, and allow the power of His grace, the Holy Spirit, to transform you into the likeness of Jesus. God’s grace is more than sufficient. God’s grace is the power of God made perfect in your life.