Topic: GRACE EMPOWERS AND CHANGES LIVES – Bishop Mike Okonkwo Devotional 27 October 2021 [The Redeemed Evangelical Mission]
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GRACE EMPOWERS AND CHANGES LIVES
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” (Titus 2:11-12 KJV)
When grace comes, there are things that must change; things will not remain the same. Zacchaeus encountered grace without anyone judging or condemning him. He said in Luke 19:8: “if I have stolen or taken anything from any man by falsehood, I will return it to them because salvation has come to my house. I can’t live the same way I used to live.” He was empowered to live for God. When grace comes, it changes your life.
Also Read: Open Heaven 27 October 2021 Topic: UNGODLY SORROW LEADS TO DAMNATION
Peter denied the Lord three times but Grace overruled on his behalf. In Mark 16:7, when the Lord rose from the dead, He specifically instructed the people to go and tell the disciples and also to look for Peter, just to let him know that God’s plans for him had not yet been aborted. Peter was eventually restored and in Acts 2, Peter preached and 3000 souls were saved.
In 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul states: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon 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” (KJV). Grace empowered Power. Grace enabled him to labor more than the rest of them all. So, when grace comes, things will not remain the same.
When the prodigal son received grace, he stayed back home; he never went away again because he understood the difference between a banqueting table and a garbage can. So, grace is not a license to continue in sin. Deal with sin before it deals with you. Sin humiliates and grinds people to a halt. Sin will make your pocket to have holes. Sin will bring you sickness and disease but Grace empowers you to live for God. Grace changes lives. An understanding of grace makes you appreciate and embrace the love of God and reject sin.
Further Reading: Titus 2:11-15; 3:4-7
Daily Bible Reading: Morning- Jeremiah 12-14; Evening- 2 Timothy 1