The grace of the Lord

Week 26: June 25th, 2017

Topic: The Grace of the Lord –Part 1

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2: 1-8

Introduction

The grace is the free and unmerited favour of God towards mankind which manifested in the salvation of sinners and the conferment of heavenly gifts and blessings. It can also be described as the unmerited divine assistance given to humans by the Lord for their regeneration and sanctification. Grace is the Love of God or the Spirit of God operating in humans to cleanse, strengthens and reforms them morally and spiritually.

Mankind must realize that it is the grace of God that did not make the world to have perished and come to an end. The best thing that has ever happened to mankind is the grace of God. In fact all the works of the Lord experience His grace in one form or the other. The fact that you are alive is the grace of God, even those who are dead must have experienced the grace of God in during their lifetime.

The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race to see if anyone is truly wise and knowledgeable to seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; they have together become corrupt. No one does good not a single one Psalm 53: 2-3, 14: 2-3. Therefore “Turn to God, and be saved through His grace, all you the ends of the earth! For He is the only living God and there is no other.” Isaiah 45: 22.

Among the gods there is none like the Almighty God who created the heaven and the earth. There are no works that can be compared to the works of God which means no god can do what the living God can do. The scripture stated that “Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Yours Psalm 86: 8. There is a song in Yoruba language that says, “The gracious, the fearful in praises, the truthful God, I lift You up”. “Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?” Exodus 15: 11.

Humans must acknowledge that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but His grace is upholding us Romans 3: 23. It is the grace of God that preserves us till this day. So I am marveled at the rate that people are turning away from God who called them by the grace of Christ, to a different gospel and doctrine Galatians 1: 6. Nowadays, people are forsaking the Lord and they are turning to immorality, filthiness, and idolatry. They are deserting their First Love that set them free from bondage and they are now embracing their first lust.

God had been patience with mankind for countless of years and He warned us by His Spirit through the prophets, but humans would not listen, therefore He allowed problems and the darkness to overcome us. Nevertheless in His great compassion He did not destroy us completely or abandon humans forever because He is a gracious and merciful God Nehemiah 9: 30-31.

Since the Lord is the most gracious, He forgives and overlooks our shortcomings which made us to be alive today. Therefore, we can deduce that the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant along with the faith and Love that are in Christ Jesus 1 Timothy 1: 14.

At this junction, we must ask ourselves how much do we pay for the grace of God in our lives? And to whom do we pay such price? If we did not pay any price for the grace of God, then we must admit that whatever earthly possessions that we have together with our educational and financial status, it is not by our might or power, but by the grace of the Lord through His Spirit Zechariah 4: 6. Paul Apostle testified to this fact when he said “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” 1 Corinthians 15: 10. Emulate Paul Apostle; do not arrogate your achievements to your wisdom or power or position, but to the grace of God. Also do not receive the grace of God in vain, but use it judiciously for the progress of His work.

Brethren, whatever the circumstance, “God will be gracious to whom He will be gracious, and He will have compassion on whom He will have compassion” Exodus 33: 19. It is left to you to do what pleases the Lord in order to be gracious to you. Whatever grace that God bestow upon you, is not to take care of yourself alone, but it is for the benefit of others, so that His work shall progress in the land of the living Ephesians 3: 2. Always use your God-given grace to cater for others.

The Grace of God brought the Gospel

In the beginning after the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, people started to embrace immorality, filthiness and idolatry until God called Abraham and made covenant with Him. Since our God is a gracious God and He is full of compassion for His works, most especially human beings Psalm 145: 8. He sent His only begotten Son to the World to spread the God News (Gospel). It was written that “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father, full of grace and truth” John 1: 14.

Human beings are receiving grace upon grace, spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favour upon favour and gift upon gift from the superabundance grace of the Lord John 1: 16. For this reason “The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ John 1: 17. Henceforth, we must realize that grace came through our Lord Jesus Christ who brought the Gospel into the world: primarily because “the Lord is gracious and full of compassion” Psalm 86: 15.

The Grace of God is sufficient for you

I want people to know that it is the grace of the Lord that is providing for our needs. Since our God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love Psalm 103: 8. He will never forget to cater for our needs and sustain us throughout our lifetime, if we are loyal and obedient.

The Bible attested to this fact by stating that “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, and You give them their food at the proper/right time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing because You are righteous in all Your ways and gracious in all Your works Psalm 145: 15-17. Paul Apostle also corroborated this statement when he asked the Lord to heal him of his infirmity and the Lord replied and said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness” 2 Corinthians 12: 9. Therefore, whatever that is happening in your life, the grace of God is sufficient to resolve your situation.

Conditionality to receive Grace

There are several steps of faith that people can take to receive the grace of the Lord, and they are the following:

Do not be wicked: Do not be wicked in all your dealings if your want to receive good things from the Lord because “there is no peace says the Lord for the wicked people” Isaiah 48: 22. If you want to receive grace from the Lord, do not be wicked. It was written that “Let grace be shown to the wicked yet he will not learn righteousness; in the land of the uprightness he will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord” Isaiah 26: 10. Since God knew that when grace is granted to the wicked people, they will not change positively. Do not be wicked in order to receive grace from the Lord.

Humble yourself: Brethren, humility is one of the best virtue that human can possess, therefore, humble yourself before humans and most importantly in the sight of the Lord, so that He will lift you up and be gracious to you James 4: 10. Since God is the most gracious, He gives us grace generously. That is why the scripture says, ”God resists/opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” James 4: 6. If you want God to be gracious to you and give you more grace, humble yourself in His sight.

Walk uprightly: The Bible says, “For the Lord is our sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” Psalm 84: 11. For grace and glory, walk uprightly.

Week 27: July 2nd, 2017

Topic: The Grace of the Lord –Part 2

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2: 1-8

We shall continue with the study by discussing how human being received Salvation through the grace of God.

Salvation through the grace

It is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that brought eternal salvation to mankind through the redemption of sins. Therefore, make sure that you do not misuse the divine grace that the Lord has bestowed upon you.

Death in Adam, Life in Christ: People must know that there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of one man Adam brought death to many, but God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many multiplied through the grace of Jesus Christ. It means we cannot compare the free gift of Christ to Adam’s failure because death reigned through Adam’s trespass while God’s grace and gifts came through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of Adams’s sin which led to condemnation because it brought justification through Christ grace and righteousness even though we humans are guilty of many sins. Since by Adam’s offense death rule over countless people, but greater is God’s wonderful/abundant grace and His gift of righteousness that makes us to triumph over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ Romans 5: 15-17. It is evident from these passages that the grace of Christ Jesus redeemed us from our sins.

You are saved by grace: Always remember that it is the grace of Christ that gives you salvation, despite the fact that mankind is dead spiritually because of our shortcomings and trespasses. God in His infinite mercy made us to be alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ. God gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead; it is by grace that we were saved and delivered from judgement so as to become partakers of Christ’s Salvation. It is written that “Even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved” Ephesians 2: 5. So we can confidently say that nothing, not even a mighty mountain of problem will stand in our ways to success that will not become a level plain and we shall rejoice over them because of the grace of God. The Bible stated that “Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it’” Zechariah 4: 7.

The Law made sin to spread: The purpose of giving the Ten Commandments to Moses, is for people to see how sinful they are and make amendments, instead people continue to wallow in trespasses, but God’s grace became more abundant. So that just as sin reigned in death since death is the wages of sin; so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 5: 20-21. If you want the eternal life, pray for the grace to overcome sins from God.

Promotion from slaves of sins to Children of God: If you do what pleases the Lord and you are in right standing with God, sin will no longer have power over you because you are not under the law as a slave, but under grace. Once you rectify your relationship with God, you will be saved. Sin will neither have dominion over you nor be your master because you are not under the law, but grace which signifies your promotion from slave of sin to a child of God. Be careful and do not continue to sin because you are not under the law Romans 6: 14-15. Dedicate yourself and be holy for I am holy says the Lord so that you will not return into bondage Leviticus 11: 45, 1 Peter 1: 16. Since you are among the people chosen by grace at this period, do not conduct yourself in manners that will make your promotion from slavery to heir-to-be rescinded/cancelled Romans 11: 5.

Redemption through the grace of Christ: Jesus Christ loves human beings to the extent that He died instead of us and He was crucified with criminals so that we will become Saints. The Bible stated that “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor that you through His poverty might become rich” 2 Corinthians 8: 9. The only way to appreciate His divine grace is to abstain for sins, since you have been redeemed. It is written that “In Jesus Christ that we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” Ephesians 1: 7. Therefore, we must admit that redemption of sins came through Jesus Christ alone and by His grace we were saved. The prophets of the olden days prophesied of the grace that will come to us, they inquired and searched carefully concerning this salvation, but unfortunately, it did not manifested during their time 1 Peter 1: 10. You that you are a partaker of this grace hold on firmly to the divine salvation so that you will not spend your eternity in hell.

Justification through grace: Human beings must earnestly seek the grace of God because we are justified freely, declared free of guilt of sin and made acceptable to God by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. It is by God’s grace that we are given the status of being considered righteous before Him and granted eternal life, through the act of redeeming us from our enslavement to sin that was accomplished by Jesus Christ Romans 3: 24. So do not forget that it is God’s grace that justified us through Christ Jesus which He freed us from the penalty of sins. Brethren do not misuse this divine grace that justified us, made us heirs and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life Titus 3: 7. Do not displease Christ that treated us much better than we deserve by making us acceptable to God and giving us the hope of eternal life.

Consolation and hope: Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us will give us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace 2 Thessalonians 2: 16. Since Jesus Christ and God our Father will give us eternal comfort and good hope of salvation by His grace, let us have the faith that the only way we can be saved is through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only genuine salvation is through the grace of Jesus Christ Acts 15: 11. Never forget that the salvation of God came through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Outcome of Grace

The outcome of the grace of God is the redemption of mankind according of the Bible passage that stated “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” John 3: 16.

Coming of Messiah into the world: The grace of God brought the Messiah into this world. He came into this world and gave us redemption from our sins. One angel, declared to the shepherds, when Jesus was born that “For there is born to you this day in the City of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” Luke 2: 11. Jesus Christ the Saviour brought eternal salvation to mankind. The Book of Titus confirmed this fact by saying “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people”. Jesus Christ was the grace that brought salvation to mankind Titus 2: 11.

Regeneration, godliness and virtues: The lives of the practicing Christians who do the will of the Lord shall be transformed and people will notice these positive changes in their lives. As stated in the Bible that “If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” 2 Corinthians 5: 17. These born again people will conduct themselves with godliness and Christians virtues in all their dealings. They will depend on God’s grace rather than human wisdom throughout their relationship in the world. The scripture says “For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you” 2 Corinthians 1: 12. Do not forget the grace of God that empowers you to conduct yourself in holiness and sincerity.

Gifts of Holy Spirit: It is the grace of God that endow our lives with gifts of Holy Spirit according to the prophecy written in the Book of Joel “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” Joel 2: 28-29. The grace of God has fulfilled the prophecy, which was the reason the gifts of Holy Spirit is very widespread among Christians because we are at the end-time. Therefore whatever gift that God has given to you, use them well to serve one another as faithful bondservant of God’s grace. As it was written, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” 1 Peter 4: 10. Do not be selfish; use your gifts that you have received by grace to serve others.

Prayers for grace

The grace of the Lord is important, necessary and essential, that was the reason that there are several prayers for the grace of the Lord mentioned in the Bible. But two particular prayers were mentioned in numerous passages, which are the following:

· The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. (Amen) Romans 16: 24, 1 Corinthians 16: 23, Philippians 4: 23, 1 Thessalonians 5: 28, 2 Thessalonians 3: 18, Revelation 22: 21.

· The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen Galatians 6: 18, Philemon 1: 25.

Therefore, do not joke with these two prayers so that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will be with you and your spirit eternally.

Grace, mercy and peace: Ask the Lord to make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you by surrounding you with loving kindness and making it possible for you to realize your good heart desires through His mercy Numbers 6: 25, so that His grace, mercy and peace will reside permanently in your life 1 Timothy 1: 2.

Grace be with the Saints: Pray to Almighty God to give the saints His grace. Ask God to pour His grace eternally upon all who sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ. Tell God to continue to guard and guide them throughout their existence Ephesians 6: 24.

Boldness and grace to help in time of need: Draw near the throne of grace with confidence to obtain mercy and find grace in seasonable aid. Christians must approach God’s throne of grace with boldness, so that we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need Hebrews 4: 16.

Grace to subdue Satan: Pray to God to give you the grace to defeat the cunning activities of Satan and subdue him throughout your lifetime. Ask God to give you the grace to trample over Satan and his agents. Tell God of peace, it is time to crush Satan under your feet, so that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will manifest fully in your life Romans 16: 20.

Week 28: July 9, 2017

Topic: The Grace of the Lord –Part 3

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2: 1-8

The study shall continue by discussing the important and necessary conducts required to receive the grace of God.

Conducts to receive the grace

There are several essential conducts written in the Bible that humans need to receive the grace of God and some of them will be mentioned below:

Commit yourself to the grace of God: It is the duty of every Christian to commit their ways to the Lord by rolling and reposing each care of their load on Him. They must trust in Him by leaning, relying and be confident in Him. It is then that He will act and bring it to pass Psalm 37: 5. So commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and He will help you. Emulate the brethren that commended Paul and Silas to the grace of God Acts 15: 40. Therefore, entrust whatever you do to the Lord’s gracious care.

Abstain from corrupt words: Christians must realize that they are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and God’s own special people 1 Peter 2: 9. Therefore they must not behave like the unbelievers who have corrupted themselves and acted corruptly towards God. Christians must not talk like the gentiles who are the children of perdition with moral defects because they are a deceitful and twisted generation Deuteronomy 32: 5. Brethren don’t use any foul or abusive language, and let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearer. Every thing you say must be good and helpful so that it will encourage those who hear them Ephesians 4: 29. Don’t let any profane or vulgar word come out of your mouth, but speeches that are good and beneficial to the spiritual progress and growth of others.

Henceforth, let your speech please the Lord like how the speech of Solomon pleased the Lord 1 kings 3: 10. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one Colossians 4: 6. As from today, let your conversation be always full of grace with sincerity, and then you will know how to give the right answer to anyone.

Do not be attracted or misled by strange doctrines: The Bible stated that “Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of the demons”. This is end time, do not turn away from the true faith, but hold on firmly to your faith. Do not follow or listen to deceptive spirits and teachings of demons 1 Timothy 4: 1. Do not be attracted to strange teachings that are widespread in the world today. Remember that your strength comes from God’s grace and not from rules about food, which cannot help those who follow them. It is written that “Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them” Hebrews 13: 9. Since your soul/heart is established and strengthen by God’s grace, beware so that you will not be tossed around by various demonic teachings and strange doctrines.

Submit to God and resist the Devil: It is good that we should submit to one another in the fear of God according to the instruction of the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5: 21. However, it is better if you submit to God and resist the devil so that he will flee from you James 4: 7. So it is important that you surrender and humble yourself before God because God resist the proud, but gives grace to the humble. The younger people must be subject to the elders and the ministers/pastors of the Church. Younger people must give them due respect and yield to their counsel. Everyone must clothe themselves with humility with freedom from pride and arrogance towards one another, because God is against the proud, but gives grace to the humble 1 Peter 5: 5. Since God opposed the proud, humble yourself to receive grace. Let everyone who desire to receive grace clothe themselves with humility as they relate to one another in this world.

Be sober and be hopeful in grace: Believers must not sleep like the gentiles, but they must keep awake, be alert and watchful. They must be sober, calm and collected. It is written “Let us not sleep as others do, but let us watch and be sober” 1 Thessalonians 5: 6. Therefore, be on your guard, be cautious and clear-headed. The reason you need to be sober and watchful is because your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for people to devour 1 Peter 5: 8. Stay alert and be vigilant if you don’t want the Devil to devour you. So brace up your mind, be sober and self-disciplined, also be spiritually and morally alert. Set your hope wholly and unchangeably on the grace that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. The scripture stated that “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 1: 13. Prepare your mind for action and exercise self-control. Put your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.

Be strong in the grace: Christians need to be strong in the Lord; they must be strong and be courageous; they must not be weak or lose strength of heart because their works shall be rewarded at the appropriate time 2 Chronicle 15: 7. So brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might Ephesians 6: 10. If you are strong in the Lord and you draw your strength from Him alone, then you will be empowered through your union with Him which His boundless might provides. For this reason be strong in the Lord and the grace that is in Christ Jesus that is abundantly able to sustain you throughout your lifetime 2 Timothy 2: 1. Do not be weak, but be strong through the grace that God gave you in Christ Jesus.

Do not receive the grace of God in vain

God knew us more than we knew ourselves; He knew our ability and capacity. Since our God is not bias, that is the reason why God’s grace was given to each of us individually, but in different ways in proportion to the measure of Christ’s gift according to our ability Ephesians 4: 7. Whatever grace that God bestow upon you do not bury it or set it aside according to the Bible passage that stated “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain”. Since righteousness and salvation came through the grace, please do not ignore or nullify the grace that God has given you Galatians 2: 21. Do not invalidate or frustrate your God’s given grace. Never cast away, turn your back on or treat as meaningless the grace of God, but use it judiciously to prove that you have not received the grace in vain. Learn from the parable of the talents mentioned in the Bible (Matthew 25: 14-28). Therefore, do not misapply your grace or receive it in vain. The Bible stated that “We then as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain” 2 Corinthians 6: 1. I also advise you as a priest not to receive the grace of God in vain; else it will be retrieved and given to another person who will utilize it better.

Do not misuse the grace of God

Many people in the world today are alienated from Christ because of vanity of this world. Numerous people are estranged from our Lord due to strange teachings while some were severed from Christ because they have fallen into sins. These categories of people have fallen from grace to grass. It is written that “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law rather than grace, you have fallen from grace” Galatians 5: 4. If you don’t want to fall from grace, acknowledge that you are justified by grace, refrain from strange teachings, vanity and sins. Since you cannot continue in sin and expect the grace of God to increase in your life Romans 6: 1. Iniquity will make you to misuse the grace therefore refrain from it and beware of the people who pervert or distort the grace of God. Avoid anyone who turns the grace of God into decadence and immoral freedom. Shun people who change the grace of God to lawlessness and wantonness together with people who deny Christ and betray the eternal covenant of God. Many ungodly people have wormed their way into the churches throughout the world, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ Jude 1: 4. Do not misuse the grace of God because it is not a license for wantonness and decadence.

Advise concerning the grace of God

Some advise concerning the use of the grace of the Lord are as follows:

· Give glory to God: in all your relationship, do not arrogate any of your achievements to your prowess, but acknowledge that it is due to the grace of God Genesis 33: 5. Behave like Jacob when he met his brother Esau.

· Beware and behave: See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and let no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many Hebrews 12: 15.

· Comply with your calling: Since you are saved and called not according to your works, but because of God’s own purpose and grace which was given to you in Christ Jesus 2 Timothy 1: 9. It is inevitable that you comply with the terms of your calling.

· You must grow in the grace and knowledge: It is important and necessary that you continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ so that you will be spiritually evolve/mature 2 Peter 3: 18.

· Ask for grace to serve God faithfully and sincerely: 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 Hebrews 12: 28.

Week 29: July 16, 2017

Topic: The Grace of the Lord –Part 4

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2: 1-8

We shall continue the study with the examples of the grace of the Lord written in the Bible.

Brethren, we must realize that our lives worth nothing unless we use them for finishing the work assigned to us by the Lord Jesus Christ; The work of preaching and spreading the Gospel/Good News about the wonderful grace of God Acts 20: 24.

Examples of the grace of the Lord

We will discuss various form of grace that God had bestowed on human since the beginning of the existence of mankind till this moment.

Adam and Eve: Since the beginning of our existence, humans have received numerous grace individually or collectively from God. God bestowed many grace on our forefather Adam for the sake of humanity and some of them are as follows:

· Grace to be created in the image and likeness of God together with grace of having dominion over the other creations of God on earth Genesis 1: 26-27.

· Grace of reproduction and blessings which made the population of the world to continue to increase till today Genesis 1: 28.

· Grace of having variety of fruits and food to eat Genesis 1: 29.

· Grace to see and talk with God face to face and interact with the heavenly beings Genesis 2: 8-9. Though we eventually lost this grace.

· Grace to be counted worthy to give names to all other creatures Genesis 2: 20. Learn from the fall of mankind and make sure that you don’t misuse your grace.

Noah: Noah received many grace during his lifetime which benefited mankind, some of them are the following:

· The grace of Calling Genesis 6: 8-14.

· Grace of the covenant to be instrumental for the preservation of mankind Genesis 6: 17-19.

· Grace of being the only household that survived the great flood which destroyed the world Genesis 8: 15-19.

· Grace of receiving the promise that ground will never be cursed again for human’s sake and time and seasons shall not cease Genesis 8: 20-22.

· Grace to receive the promise that flood will never destroy the earth again with rainbow as the sign of the covenant Genesis 9: 8-17.

Abraham: Abraham was described as a friend of God James 2: 23. That was the reason he received many grace from the Lord.

· The grace of Calling Genesis 12: 1.

· Grace of abundant blessing to whoever blesses him and cursing anyone who curses him Genesis 12: 2-3.

· Grace of the establishment of God’s covenant and changing of his name from Abram to Abraham Genesis 17: 1-5.

· Grace of fruitfulness, multiplication and everlasting covenant Genesis 17: 6-8.

· Grace that all the nations of the earth shall be blessed through his Seed (Jesus Christ) Genesis 22: 18, 26: 4.

Jacob/Israel: Jacob received countless grace from God among which are the following:

· The grace of leadership or seniority and heir to the blessings of Abraham Genesis 25: 22-23.

· Grace to see heavenly vision, protection and promise to inherit the land Genesis 28: 10-15.

· Grace to be successful Genesis 32: 9-10.

· Grace of wrestling/struggling with heavenly being and prevailing together with the grace of change of name from Jacob to Israel Genesis 32: 24-29.

· Grace of seen God face to face and his life was preserved Genesis 32: 30.

Moses: Moses is one of the greatest prophets to ever walk on the surface of the earth due to the grace that he received in the presence of God. Some of them are the following:

· The grace of been raised by an adversary (Pharaoh’s daughter) without harm Exodus 2: 1-10.

· The grace of spiritual gifts and development plus the conferment of leadership of the people of Israel Exodus 3: 1-15.

· The grace of been the first person to ascend Mount Sinai to speak to God Exodus 19: 1-9.

· Moses found grace in the sight of the Lord “to continue to accompany the Israelites on their journey, despite their errors Exodus 33: 12 -17.

· The grace to see the glory of God passing by and live to tell the story Exodus 33: 18-23.

· The grace for the reproduction of the broken Ten Commandments tablets Exodus 34: 1-6.

David: King David received several grace from the Lord some of which can cause jealousness from other people:

· The grace to be the anointed as King among his siblings 1 Samuel 16: 1-13.

· The grace to defeat Goliath and the Philistines 1 Samuel 17: 34-58.

· The grace to witness the installation of his son Solomon as the king of Israel 1 Kings 1: 28-47.

· The grace to receive eternal covenant from the Lord 2 Samuel 7: 12-17.

· The grace that the Saviour of the world Jesus Christ our Lord came through his lineage Isaiah 11: 10, Romans 15: 12.

Paul: Paul was redeemed and received countless grace from the Lord, some of which are the following:

· The grace to change from anti-Christ to pro-Christ Acts 8: 1-3, 9: 20-22.

· The grace to change from instrument of wickedness to the vessel of Salvation Acts 9: 10-22.

· The grace for new identity when people started referring to him as Paul instead of Saul Acts 13: 9.

· The grace to work more than other apostles 1 Corinthians 15: 9-10.

· The grace of been sent to the gentiles, making him the apostle of the gentiles Acts 13: 1-2, 22: 17-21; Romans 11: 13; Galatians 2: 8-9; Ephesians 3: 8; 1 Timothy 2: 7; 2 Timothy 1: 11.

Several women mentioned in the Bible obtain grace in the presence of God. Some of them are the following: Sarah; Miriam; Deborah, Ruth and Mary the mother of Jesus Christ

All the aforementioned people are human being like you, but they received uncommon grace among mankind. You too can receive similar or better grace from the Lord if you conduct yourself in manners that are acceptable to the Lord and always do things that please Him.

Return to God to receive grace

It is time for you to return to God so that you will receive additional grace. Christians needs to return to the Lord our God because many of us have stumbled and fallen due to our iniquities. We need to repent and come back to the Lord our God since sin has caused our downfall.

Believers must take words of repentance with them and return to the Lord. Ask Him to forgive your sins and graciously receive you, so that you can offer Him your praises Hosea 14: 1-2. The Lord is a gracious God. He will take away your iniquity and shower you with grace, if you return to Him. Therefore, do not delay to rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and He relents from doing harm Joel 2: 13. So tear your heart in grief and contrition. Return in repentance to the Lord, since He is a gracious God. He will change His mind about the disaster, and shower you with grace instead.

Since we are at the end-time, everyone that has tasted the grace of God must proclaim to other people that our God is gracious. They must declare the grace of God publicly and bring back into the fold the lost sheep of the house of Israel 1 Peter 2: 3, Matthew 15: 24. Let people know that our God is gracious, invite them to come and taste the grace of the Lord because there is nothing that can be compared to it.

Finally, whatever you are passing through, the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory in Christ will restore, establish, strengthen and support you after you have suffered a little 1 Peter 5: 10. I pray that God who is full of grace will resolve your situation, perfect your way, empower and place you on a firm foundation.

The Seal: 2 Corinthians 13: 14: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.