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Women of Grace
by Lynda Switzer
"Grace” is a word frequently used in the scriptures and often heard in local churches. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul expressed greetings of “grace and peace” in his letters to the churches in his apostolic sphere.
Grace is an often misunderstood expression of the fullness of Christ in a believer’s life. In Acts 4:33, “great grace” seems to refer to the release and employment of the very power of God in the disciples’ lives resulting in their giving witness to the reality of the resurrection of Christ. Luke records that this “great grace” was upon all the multitude gathered, resulting also in believers ministering to one another in the context of Christian community.
In II Corinthians 12:9, when the Apostle Paul was pleading with the Lord to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” God’s response was, “My grace is sufficient for you.” This “grace,” (Greek: charis) is rooted in the concepts of “joy” and “to rejoice;” thus, grace, “charis,” causes rejoicing. It seems God was communicating to the Apostle Paul, “Yield to me and my power in your life, and I will cause you to rejoice amidst your thorn in the flesh.”
Grace speaks of Father God extending Himself to sinful man: giving the free gift of salvation and unlimited blessings that man does not deserve, but freely received by grace. Why does it often seem so hard to as freely give away that grace to one’s everyday acquaintances?
The adjective “gracious” comes from the noun, “grace.” Indeed, to be gracious is to show compassion, to care, to listen, to serve, and to impart blessing to another’s life. The Christian woman who daily chooses (It is a choice before God!) to live her faith graciously in the power of the Holy Spirit is a dynamic testimony to Christ’s redeeming work in her life.
How different this gracious woman is from so much of that which characterizes the feminist spirit of the ‘90’s: “demanding my rights,” “giving another person a piece of my mind,” “promoting my agenda,” “doing my own thing,” “ pushing, demanding, crushing others to reach my own great pinnacle.”
Women of today, Christian and non-Christian, are so busy, so rushed, so pressed with “to do lists,” so often focused on personal needs and very real responsibilities, that often grace and graciousness are missing in their lives. No one had a more lonely, difficult job to do or faced a rougher mountain road to climb than our glorious Savior who climbed Mt. Calvary; yet, the scriptures characterize Jesus, the living Word, as “full of grace and truth,” John 1:14.
As a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, can a Christian woman be any less than full of God’s grace and truth? How powerful will be the impact of gracious Christian women in their marriages, as mothers who nurture their children, in their neighborhoods, at their places of work, and in their local churches! What a balm of healing this gracious Christian woman will be to whomever’s life she touches!
How many times I have lacked grace and graciousness in my own life! Instead, I have pressed legalisms on my children; have rushed passed people in my busy days; and have forgotten the gentle graces that so sweeten the fragrance of my marriage.
In those moments of weakness and vulnerability, our Faithful Father God is so GRACIOUS to call me back to Him. He encourages me to humble myself, repent, and let Him fill me afresh with His sweet Holy Spirit who indeed gives the fresh grace of Jesus in my life and enables me to walk God’s way instead of the way of my flesh. Praise His name!
Grace is an often misunderstood expression of the fullness of Christ in a believer’s life. In Acts 4:33, “great grace” seems to refer to the release and employment of the very power of God in the disciples’ lives resulting in their giving witness to the reality of the resurrection of Christ. Luke records that this “great grace” was upon all the multitude gathered, resulting also in believers ministering to one another in the context of Christian community.
In II Corinthians 12:9, when the Apostle Paul was pleading with the Lord to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” God’s response was, “My grace is sufficient for you.” This “grace,” (Greek: charis) is rooted in the concepts of “joy” and “to rejoice;” thus, grace, “charis,” causes rejoicing. It seems God was communicating to the Apostle Paul, “Yield to me and my power in your life, and I will cause you to rejoice amidst your thorn in the flesh.”
Grace speaks of Father God extending Himself to sinful man: giving the free gift of salvation and unlimited blessings that man does not deserve, but freely received by grace. Why does it often seem so hard to as freely give away that grace to one’s everyday acquaintances?
The adjective “gracious” comes from the noun, “grace.” Indeed, to be gracious is to show compassion, to care, to listen, to serve, and to impart blessing to another’s life. The Christian woman who daily chooses (It is a choice before God!) to live her faith graciously in the power of the Holy Spirit is a dynamic testimony to Christ’s redeeming work in her life.
How different this gracious woman is from so much of that which characterizes the feminist spirit of the ‘90’s: “demanding my rights,” “giving another person a piece of my mind,” “promoting my agenda,” “doing my own thing,” “ pushing, demanding, crushing others to reach my own great pinnacle.”
Women of today, Christian and non-Christian, are so busy, so rushed, so pressed with “to do lists,” so often focused on personal needs and very real responsibilities, that often grace and graciousness are missing in their lives. No one had a more lonely, difficult job to do or faced a rougher mountain road to climb than our glorious Savior who climbed Mt. Calvary; yet, the scriptures characterize Jesus, the living Word, as “full of grace and truth,” John 1:14.
As a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, can a Christian woman be any less than full of God’s grace and truth? How powerful will be the impact of gracious Christian women in their marriages, as mothers who nurture their children, in their neighborhoods, at their places of work, and in their local churches! What a balm of healing this gracious Christian woman will be to whomever’s life she touches!
How many times I have lacked grace and graciousness in my own life! Instead, I have pressed legalisms on my children; have rushed passed people in my busy days; and have forgotten the gentle graces that so sweeten the fragrance of my marriage.
In those moments of weakness and vulnerability, our Faithful Father God is so GRACIOUS to call me back to Him. He encourages me to humble myself, repent, and let Him fill me afresh with His sweet Holy Spirit who indeed gives the fresh grace of Jesus in my life and enables me to walk God’s way instead of the way of my flesh. Praise His name!