Nothing in life worthwhile comes easy. Human experience points to this fact every day. Whether it is getting in shape, building a business, obtaining a college degree or daily working on a difficult relationship, hard word is a necessary component. My prayer to God every day is to hold me close and don't allow me to stray from Him.
The life of stewardship doesn't happen overnight. It is a long, tedious process. The apostle Paul starts most of his letters in the New Testament with the greeting- grace and peace to you. This is not some salutation with little deeper meaning like- hello. Our most desperate needs are for grace and peace.
We need grace because we have sinned greatly against God. I had a week where I experienced a lot of deep regret over my past. Specifically for a time in my life from 20- 30 years old where I confessed Christ with my mouth but denied Him with my actions. I hurt a lot of people with my selfish, sinful ways. I desperately need the grace of God given through the life, death and resurrection of Christ. I know that I will never receive God's approval for living a good, decent life. My only appeal to Him is based on the righteousness of Christ and what He has done for me.
Paul- a murderer of Christians before conversion- understood this need for daily grace. Philippians 3:13-14, "One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." What is our most desperate need? Grace- the unmerited favor/love of God displayed in Christ.
We also need peace. Inwardly each of us has a conscience. God has implanted this in our souls. Eclessiastes 3:11 tells us that God has put eternity in our hearts. When we live in a way that is contrary to the ways of God, we will never experience inner peace. Peace is only possible when we submit ourselves daily to Christ and strive for holiness- Hebrews 12:14.
All of us love to be on our own gods by nature. We are naturally selfish and rebellious. We need the peace of God to restore us to our rightful design as reflectors of God's glory. I need to be reminded daily that my opinions are not always right. I am filled with anxiety, anger and self-righteousness on a daily basis. I need the peace of God.
Ephesians 2 is a beautiful description of our need for grace and peace. Let me highly recommend a series of books if you are interested in studying what many theology scholars believe is the best summary of sound Christian doctrine in the New Testament- Ephesians. I have been using Martyn Lloyd Jones set called the Exposition of Ephesians. It is a verse by verse explanation of Ephesians. This eight book set can currently be purchased at christianbook.com for around $50.
Grace and Peace,
Ashley Hodge
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