“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” Galatians 5:13-16
Two missionaries in China were standing by a clogged up sewer, arguing about why they shouldn’t have to clean it out. The first missionary said, “I’ve been here longer, I shouldn’t have to do this.” The other one replied, “But I have more education. I didn’t spend all that money on schooling to be cleaning out sewers.” While they were arguing back and forth, famous missionary Hudson Taylor walked past them, opened the sewer, went down into it, cleared it out, and took care of the problem. While the missionaries were arguing, Hudson Taylor simply did the job that needed to be done.
We need Christians who rather than focusing on what they don’t have to do, focus on what God has commanded us to do! While some would use grace to live life the way they want, we should use grace to live life how God wants.
Grace is the inner working of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer, bringing them into the image of Christ— when we have a correct view of grace and an appreciation for it, we will draw closer to Christ and further away from sin. Grace will motivate us to live for Christ each day.
One motivation of grace is to serve others. Galatians 5:13 says, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” While so many people view grace as a license to sin, this verse shows us that true grace should be our motivation to serve others! Because we have God’s grace in our lives and because He controls us, we should be motivated to serve one another.
The Bible does not show us that grace will bring less service, but will cause us to lead a more dedicated life to God. First Peter 2:16 says, “As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.” We are free under grace, not to sin but to serve! Christian freedom is not about living how we want but living how God wants us to live.
When was the last time you went out of your way to serve someone else? When was the last time you sent a friend a card, baked some cookies for your neighbor, mowed someone’s lawn, or showed someone you cared? Sometimes the hardest thing you can do is show kindness to someone who isn’t kind to you. But that’s where God’s grace comes in! Because of God’s grace, we can serve anyone who comes along our path.
Ask God now to give you grace to help others today. As you go about your daily routine, be looking for someone who you can serve through God’s grace.–By Dr. Paul Chappell
