Showing God’s Grace To Others

I recently heard a speaker on the radio say, “The same grace that God shows us we need to show to our spouse. Husbands should love their wives, “as Christ loved the Church” (Ephesians 5:25), and this implies showing them grace.  Even though this verse is in the context of marriage, I think it has a broader application to showing grace to any person we know who is close to us.

How do we show grace to others? It begins with the recognition that all people are sinners, (even though some may not think of themselves as such). Therefore, we all need a dose of God’s grace.  We are all flawed human beings to one extent or another. “If we say we have no son, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us”(I John 1:8). Grace is enabling us to accept others as they are. It is also realizing that each one of us, though some more than others, is susceptible to falling into sin.

Showing grace also involves accepting the fact that there are traits in others that we can’t change. We must be patient, forebearing, and longsuffering, as well as forgiving. Colossians 3:12-13 says, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another…forgiving each other.”All the things listed in this verse have to do with patiently enduring a difficult situation or individual, and holding back a negative emotional reaction. A former pastor of mine said, “God has a lot of dysfunctional children.” Think about how much God puts up with us when we go our own way apart from Him.

Exhibiting grace in the lives of others means not only not judging them, but helping them overcome their struggles, as stated in Galatians 6:1-2. “If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”  Another passage that relates to this is 2 Timothy 2:24-25. “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.”

Think about the 12 disciples of Jesus. None of them were super spiritual saints. They were self-centered, one was a thief, they all forsook Jesus, and Peter denied him three times. They were ordinary people like all of us, yet for three years Jesus poured his grace into their lives. Now, we can’t display the same level of grace that Jesus did because we’re not God, but we can exhibit some of the same qualities of grace, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 lists the fruits of the Spirit, some of which are “patience…gentleness, self-control…”

God delights in accepting broken people with hurts and struggles, and making something wonderful out of their lives. His grace works the same with all people of different cultures, colors, and circumstances. But when they do, they won’t go away the same person they were before.

• Do you know of anyone who is going through a very trying circumstance? Do you have to work or live with a difficult person? These may be opportunities for God to work through you in showing them His grace.