HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH

Romans 5:20 (New International Version)
20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.



Perhaps you can relate to this scenario: you feel like you’ve failed God once more by falling for that same traps you fell for last week. Or perhaps you’ve not been obedient to something you know God desired for you to do or you are doubting that He can deliver on His promises. Suddenly, you are back in that place where you’re sure that God is disappointed and He definitely wants nothing to do with you.


We’ve all been there. We’ve stumbled in sin or doubt (or maybe we just dived in head first!) and we’ve all felt the guilt and angst of being out of fellowship with God. There are those moments when we feel the weight of our sin and we’re sure that weight is too heavy for us to overcome and get right with God.


Unfortunately, that’s exactly where Satan wants you to be. We have a difficult time seeing the spiritual activity going on around us when we’ve fallen to sin or doubted His will. Here’s how the enemy works: The book of James tells us that we are tempted, we fall for the temptation and then are dragged away by sin. Satan’s desire is to get you “dragged away” to a place where you think God cannot reach you and does not want you.


And that, my friends, is the lie. You are never out of God’s reach and His children are never, ever forsaken.


I believe God gave me the perfect picture of His grace and judgment while studying. Join me in the story that we all know.


Genesis 6:5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.


We all know the story of Noah’s ark. Mankind’s wickedness was so extreme that God had set to destroy His own creation. His desire to destroy it wasn’t because He hated it, but because He hated what it had become. His character cannot fellowship with sin, so His own creation had to be wiped clean.


But God found one man and his family that remained faithful and obedient. Noah was not perfect, but He desired to know God and God saw that in his heart.


So God instructed Noah to build a boat. You know the rest of the story – the rains fell, the boat floated, man was destroyed and Noah’s family was saved from the destruction.


The picture of the “Ark of Grace” afloat above the “Sea of Judgment” should be a reminder to us all that God’s grace is sufficient. The higher the “Sea of Judgment” rises, the higher the “Ark of Grace” rises above it. What a great visual picture of God’s grace and mercy.


Simply put – God’s grace overcomes our sin and God’s own judgment. Study this next verse and allow it to speak to you.


Romans 5:20The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


Where sin increases, grace increases even more. Just like the ark that saved Noah’s family, it stays above the sea of judgment.


That is why Paul tells us that God’s grace is all we need.
2 Corinthians 12:9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.


There is no sin, no falling away, no breaking of fellowship that cannot be restored. God’s grace is sufficient. While the enemy whispers the opposite, his tongue is full of lies.


If you’re in that place right now, where sin seems to have swept you away, then I encourage you to simply stop and turn to the One who offers sufficient grace to overcome every sin, every entanglement.



Daddy, I know the enemy is trying to discourage so many people, including me. He is up to his old tricks again of planting condemning thoughts so that we can feel inadequate to serve you. In Jesus' name, bind him so that we might be free to do Your will. Let us feel Your grace that is sufficient to overcome his lies.



Blessings,



Jody Hinkle