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The Grace To Be Strong

Introduction

Do you sometimes feel that you cannot handle this prolonged pandemic anymore? Where will your strength come from? It will not come from you for sure. It will come from God through His grace (2 Tim 2:1; cf. 1:2). But how can we avail of that grace? Although grace is a gift from God, there are certain things we can do to posture ourselves to receive it.

Three Faith Choices

  1. Rekindle your *inner faith* (2 Tim 1:3-7) – God’s grace is always available to us. But we are responsible for rekindling our inner faith. This has to do with focusing our hearts on our spiritual formation rather than on our external practices of faith. We need to develop our relationship with the Holy Spirit so that He can work in us to produce the right kind of fruit. A healthy soul will always be strong in the Lord.
  2. Remind yourself of your *salvation* (2 Tim 1:8-12) – In the midst of this pandemic, we need to remind ourselves of our salvation in Christ, which is by grace through faith. It’s not by our human striving or efforts. Satan wants to put us to shame because of our failures and weaknesses. But God wants to remind us that when sin abounds, His grace much more abounds. When we remember this, we become strong in the Lord.
  3. Recommit to *pass on* the Gospel (2 Tim 1:13-18; 2:2) – Now is the time to be committed to the passing on of the Gospel. Some are tempted to neglect the Great Commission because of what’s going on. But this is exactly what Satan wants. When we lose our focus, we fail to share our faith with others. But when we remain committed to doing His will, the Lord strengthens us.

Conclusion

  1. “The *grace to be strong* can be *ours all along*.”
  2. We don’t have to rely on ourselves or look for it elsewhere. God wants to pour His grace into our lives to make us strong. All we have to do is make the right faith choices.
  3. This week, let’s rekindle our inner faith, remind ourselves of our salvation, and recommit to passing on the Gospel to others.

Discussion

  1. What is your response to the idea that we can thrive, not just survive, in this pandemic?
  2. The grace to be strong is a gift from God. But what can you do to experience it?
  3. Which of the three faith choices do you need to apply in your life right now? Why?

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