His Grace is Enough

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

Have you ever felt weak and vulnerable?
Do you have an enormous and insurmountable task before you?
Do you know how to tap into the grace of God?

His Grace is Enough

If every goal you attempt in business and life is within the reach of your human potential, then your goals are not bold and audacious enough. And if the vision of your company or your life is what you alone can accomplish without the help of others and supernatural intervention, then your vision is too small. The Apostle Paul was given a vision by God to take the Gospel to the Gentiles, and to be a witness for Him before the kings of the earth and to the children of Israel.

Throughout the journey of fulfilling this vision, Paul faced many obstacles including his own human limitations, “and a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) which is generally thought to refer to the continual persecution and attempts on his life at the hands of the Pharisees. These trials were so painful that Paul cried out to God three times, asking him to remove them. But in spite of all of these extreme challenges, …”  the Apostle Paul went on to accomplish the vision the Lord gave him, and he also authored more books in the New Testament than any other apostle. 

What enabled the Apostle Paul to do so much despite his personal challenges? Grace. Each time he cried out to God for help, God reminded him that His grace was all he needed. His grace was more than enough for him.

I remember a meeting I had with a client that led to a decision to make one of the partners CEO of the company. The immediate reaction of the partner who was made CEO was “I cannot do it. I don’t have the time or the experience.” I reminded him that by stepping up he could save the company – and he did. God’s grace was enough for him. He has not only done a great job, but through his leadership, the company’s culture has changed, and despite facing challenges along the way, they are on the verge of tremendous growth. 

If all that you are willing to attempt in life are the things that are safe and within your reach, then you will never fully live life, and nor will you experience God to the fullest. We must strive to pursue goals that are so bold, and visions that are so daring, that without the grace of God, we cannot realize them.

The word “grace” is derived from the Greek word “charis”, which primarily means the “unmerited favor or kindness of God directed toward humanity.” Grace can also be interpreted as “supernatural gifts imparting extraordinary powers, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating through Christians by the Holy Spirit.”

The result of grace is that the supernatural strength of God is activated when we acknowledge our human limitations, and realize that only His grace can empower us and see us through. 

Grace is God’s sufficiency, which is present only when we recognize our insufficiency. It is God’s strength at work in us when we are weak. The grace of God manifests most powerfully when we have exhausted all of our options. 

Grace cannot exist alongside our ability or efforts. Either you depend upon God’s grace, or upon your own strength. You cannot rely on both. Once the Apostle Paul understood this revelation, with great enthusiasm he cried out, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in distresses, for Christ’s sake for when I’m weak, then I’m strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9b-10)

In other words, Paul realized that grace is most present when we are at our most vulnerable and inadequate. This, however, goes contrary to the entrepreneurs’ instincts. We do not want to feel vulnerable, and we do not ever want to feel weak or inadequate. We feel that we must be in control at all times. If this is so, then we must forsake the grace of God, because we cannot have it both ways. Grace cannot exist where dependence on our strength is present. Grace is only present when we acknowledge that we cannot do it
by ourselves.

Of course, this does not mean that we should attempt impossible tasks, just so that we can experience the grace of God. That would be testing God and that can be dangerous and ill-advised. Grace works in concert with God’s calling and God’s will. 

The things you pursue must be those things that God has called you to do and that align with His plan for your life. No matter how challenging or difficult, no matter what personal issues you may be facing, if those things are within God’s plan for your life and His will, then you can rest assured that His grace is enough. It is all you need.

My prayer for you today is that you will dare to pursue bold and audacious God-inspired goals beyond your human abilities, by tapping into the sufficiency of God’s grace.