When God calls us into His plan, it is not our talent or intelligence He is interested in. He looks specifically for those who will do His will, regardless
of their personal ability.
The Apostle Paul is a great example of this kind of person. He was a man respected among the religious leaders in Israel. As a Pharisee taught by the
great Gamaliel, Paul would seem to be the likely choice to present the Gospel of Jesus to the most influential Jews.
But instead of sending Paul to Israel, God sent Paul to the Gentile world, where his religious background would be of little importance. Paul would
need to rely on the Holy Spirit to fulfill God’s plan.
Whatever we are commissioned to do in the Kingdom of God, we will need the grace that comes from time spent in God’s presence in order to fulfill our assignment.
Many Christians are disappointed in their spiritual walk because they have directed their prayers and their faith toward situations in their lives
in a desire to bring about needed change but have failed to see any real results. Yet so many times, people try to use faith to change external
circumstances when they lack the level of inner ability to sustain the faith they are exercising. Before these individuals can truly succeed in
faith, they first need to grow in grace.
Grace is the inner substance that will sustain us as we
apply the principles of faith to change things. If we give up on the inside, we will faint on the outside. In other words, faith overcomes the
problems, but grace keeps the problems from overcoming us.
Growing in grace enables us to enter into greater and greater dimensions of power in our inner man. We can then experience greater and greater results
as we release that power through prayer.
Hebrews 12:28 says, “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with
reverence and godly fear” (NKJV).
That word “acceptably” means according to God’s ability. The kind of service to God that truly honors Him is not accomplished by natural talent or
determination alone. It must be done in His strength and ability.
So come into God’s presence and grow in grace. Let His ways become our ways; let His thoughts become our thoughts. As we do, His ability will begin
to emerge from within us as we walk in the strength that comes from His grace.
