A Soul Seeking…GRACE!

 “A Soul Seeking…GRACE!

 

“the whole body of Christians being agreed, that Christ had ordained certain outward means, for conveying his grace into the souls of men.”

                                                                        John Wesley, “Means of Grace” Sermon

 

Grace. A simple word with profound meaning and resounding impact.

 

How does one describe the grace of God to someone still seeking to understand and know God? 

 

Is it defined by Oxford Dictionary as “courteous goodwill” or in the Christian belief, the “free and unmerited favor of God as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.” The former definition is to acknowledge that we all have the capacity to extend the grace of goodwill toward others. The latter reminds us that we can only bestow onto another what has been undeservedly bestowed upon us…GRACE. 

 

So, how does one go from receiving grace to giving grace?

 

By encountering God and engaging with others through the means of grace. These outward expressions of an inwardly transformative experience serve as channels that grant us assess to the Triune God. As we journey along these channels of grace, we have to remember that the means are NOT the end. For the end, and current gain, is an eternity with God that starts now. 

 

So, what are these means of grace?

What do I do?

How do I do it?

 

We first recognize that the “doing” is not ours to direct or accomplish, it is ours to respond and reciprocate. God FIRST & ALWAYS moves towards us and draws us to Himself. We hear His voice, feel His touch, sense His essence, and smell the fragrance of His holiness through means of grace like prayer, Bible study and meditation (Apostle’s teaching according to Wesley), and communion. As we fellowship with God through these means, our hearts are “renewed after the image of God” (Wesley, “Means of Grace”). As we are made in His image, we are then postured to properly reflect His image to the world around us. This perpetuates the cycle of drawing and responding to the love-infused beckoning of God for all His creation to come home to His heart…in our hearts…as we are found in Christ. 

 

                                                Come journey HOME in and through GRACE…with me!