God inextricably joined you to Christ so that you can benefit and enjoy the richness of His grace (Romans 8:17; Ephesians 2:7). Once you are in Christ, God does not see you separate from the life of Christ working in you to grow and prosper in every area of your life.

God’s grace in Christ is double-edged.

 

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.

Titus 2:11-12 (ESV)

 

Some people consider grace to be a casual attitude towards sin and sinful behaviour. This could not be further from the truth. As "God's grace that brings salvation," Jesus will teach you to say "No!" to worldly pleasures and "Yes!" to a godly life.

 

{Waiting] for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Titus 2:13-14 (ESV)

 

Christ made you acceptable to God by cleansing you of sin. In Greek, "special" is periousios, which means "choosing something to own or enjoy on purpose," and "zealous" is zēlōtēs, which means "to bubble or boil over." In other words, the grace that made you God's own is the same grace that gives you a passion for God.

If you rely on your feelings to believe or serve God, you will end up believing or serving Him by your own strength or effort. It's only a matter of time before you become disheartened or burned out. Although all religions teach some type of self-effort to obtain salvation, the gospel reveals that none of our works was ever regarded as "good" until we were saved.

Good works flow from your life in Christ.

They are not intended to impress God, but rather to exalt His Name. They are not attempts to acquire God's favour, but rather to reveal His ever-present favour in you to others. They are not used for self-promotion, but rather to demonstrate the power of Christ at work in you (Colossians 1:29).

As a child of God, you don't need to be persuaded to serve others. Simply look for ways to make a difference. In other words, God saves you so that you can "bubble over" into every good work for the benefit of everyone.

 

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Hebrews 13:16 (ESV)

 

If you can believe in God as much as He believes in you, there is no limit to what He can accomplish through you. Many Christians, however, do not believe that God believes in them.

God will qualify anyone He calls.

You may stumble and fall many times, but if you believe what God believes about you, you will finish well. God sees further than you can see. His thoughts for you are constantly higher and more loving than you could ever conceive. His plans for you are always bigger and better than you could ever imagine.

You may not believe that God thinks of you with such grace and favour at times. Only believe, for nothing can ever undo God's perfect purpose for your life, even when everything appears to be working against you.

 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

 

Although not everything that happens to you is regarded, God is able to work everything for your highest good because of His immense and immeasurable love. God is able to turn tragedy into triumph, defeat into victory and failure into success because He is restricted by your circumstances or condition.