His Grace is Sufficient

We have a bus driver at our school who is retiring this year. He tells me how many days are left until the end of the school year. One day he told me there were like 61 school days left. I asked him, "But will I make it?" His reply was, "You will. By His grace." I then said, "He said His grace is sufficient."

What is grace? The Oxford English Dictionary defines grace in this way, "As a quality of God: benevolence towards humanity, bestowed freely and without regard to merit, and which manifests in the giving of blessings and granting of salvation; As something received from God by the individual: benevolent divine influence acting upon humanity to impart spiritual enrichment or purity, to inspire virtue, or to give strength to endure trial and resist temptation."

There are many verses in the Bible that contain the word "grace." One of my favorites is found in John 1:17, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” We read in Ephesians 2:8 that we are "saved by grace through faith."

God gives grace to humble people. Proverbs 3:34 says, “Surely He scorneth the scorners: but He giveth grace unto the lowly.” James 4:6 reminds us, “But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."

I love that God let us see into the lives of the characters written about in the Bible. He let us see their mistakes and failures, as well as their faith. They needed the grace of God just like we do in our lives. One such example is Paul. He said in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." God did not take away Paul's "thorn in the flesh," but rather helped him endure.

No matter what you are facing in your life right now, God's grace is sufficient. He will carry you through every situation. Are you raising a child with special needs? His grace is sufficient. Are you dealing with a wayward child? His grace is sufficient. Are you battling illness or disease? His grace is sufficient. Do you feel you are drowning in grief or depression? His grace is sufficient. Keep in mind Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

I will conclude with these two verses regarding the grace of God. 2 Corinthians 9:8 declares, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." Psalms 84:11 reads, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly."