Practical Grace

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:27-30 ESV). Grace is wonderful as it relates to our future; however, it should be said that it is not a future gift alone. It has very practical implications. Paul is clear in our reading today about the necessity of living this lie in a way that reflects the gift of grace in our lives. Grace must make a difference in our life here and now. A.W. Tozer spoke to that point as well: He feels supreme love for one whom he has never seen. He talks familiarly every day to someone he cannot see, expects to go to Heaven on the virtue of another, empties himself in order that he might be full, admits that he is wrong so he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up. He is strongest when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels worst. He dies so he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passeth knowledge. A good deal of our practical, everyday living begins with the estimate we have of ourselves. It may be high or low, wise or foolish, but it informs the choices we make. Today there are those who deny humanity’s privileged standing as the crown of creation. Paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould has said that a crab is not lower or less complex than a human being in any meaningful way. Another argues: “All forms of life are equally remarkable and equally expendable.” It is hard to imagine that such views will not diminish and demoralize people. After all, how do you live a life worthy of someone no higher than a crab? More ominously, what happens when people are viewed as equally expendable with any other animal? Paul calls us to live a life worthy of our identity as the beloved of God. This means, as Paul will spell out later, that selfish ambition, vain conceit, grumbling and angry disputes are inappropriate. There are some things we will insist on doing because they fit us, while other things we refuse to do because they are simply beneath us - too stingy, too mean, too “beastly.” This is not false pride. It is a healthy Christian self-image. Today, let’s remind ourselves of how great a future we have and how great that makes our present. Live a life today that reflects that in every relationship you have.