What do you think of when you hear the word “grace”? Any man or woman on the street might give a range of answers from the way ballerinas move to what we say at the table before dinner. But the full concept of grace is so much more than our everyday understanding of the word. Grace encompasses our salvation and our relationship with God. It is at the heart of the Gospel, and it affects all aspects of life.
J.I. Packer speaks of grace in light of weakness. In his book Weakness Is the Way, he writes about how grace fills the gap between our own abilities and perfection in Christ. Whether we battle eye trouble (as some think the Apostle Paul may have experienced), disease, money issues, anxieties, etc., we all are made strong in weakness through the amazing power of God’s grace. As sinners who cannot achieve our own salvation, grace is what makes us whole.
Isn’t that an encouraging thought? As the Lord looks at our many weaknesses, He says that His grace is made perfect in the very thing that is far from perfect … me!