Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians. Let’s get into it.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT
“Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”
Galatians 5:4 TPT
“If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!”
Romans 6:14 ERV
“Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace.”
1 Corinthians 15:10 NIV
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Scripture(s) we will study today:
Galatians 2:10 NIV
“All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.”
Galatians 2:10 TPT
“They simply requested that we would be mindful to minister to the poor, which was the very thing I was already eager to do.”
James 1:27 TPT
“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”
Genesis 12:2-3 NIV
“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Setting the Stage:
When the Jerusalem apostles gave Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, they made only one request: “Remember the poor.” Notice Paul’s response: “this is something I had been eager to do all along.” This wasn’t a burden or obligation for Paul—it was already his heart’s desire.
Here’s what I want you to understand: The same grace that empowers you to walk in your divine assignment also gives you the heart and the power to be a blessing to those in need. God didn’t bless Abraham to make him wealthy. God blessed Abraham so he could BE a blessing to others. The same principle applies to you. You are blessed to be a blessing.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God’s Grace Will Create An Eagerness to Bless Others Because You Want To, Not Out of Obligation.
Paul wasn’t reluctant about helping the poor. He was “eager to do” it. When God’s grace is operating in your life and you expereince prosperity in various forms, you don’t help others because you have to; you help them because you want to. Grace transforms your heart so that blessing others becomes a joy, not a burden.
How this applies to you:
— The grace of God produces genuine compassion in your heart for people who are struggling. When you’re walking in grace, you naturally develop a heart for those who need help.
— You don’t give to impress God or to earn His favor. You give because you’ve already received His grace and now you want to share it with others. Grace received is supposed to become grace extended.
— When helping others feels like a burden, it’s usually because you’re operating from the Law (obligation) rather than grace (eagerness). When you feel obligated to feed the homeless or attend some even to help those in need, you are doing it because you feel like it is one of God’s rules, and you are supposed to do it. However, under the New Covenant, we are not required to serve God under the Law (as an obligation). Grace makes generosity flow naturally from a heart of gratitude.
— The desire to bless others is actually evidence that God’s love and grace have filled your heart. When grace is flowing through you, you can’t help but want to share what God has given you.
— You don’t have to force yourself to care about people in need. Grace creates genuine concern and eagerness to help. If you’re forcing it, you’re not flowing in grace.
— Your giving should feel like an overflow of what God has done for you, not like you’re paying a debt. When grace is your motivation, giving becomes worship, not work.
— God doesn’t want reluctant givers. God is looking for people whose hearts are in their giving. He wants eager givers who are motivated by His grace and love. Your eagerness to bless others reflects the eagerness God had to bless you.
2. True Religion is Demonstrated by How You Treat Those Who Cannot Help You.
James tells us that “pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress.” True Christianity isn’t just about what you believe; it’s about how you treat people who have nothing to offer you in return.
How this applies to you:
— Orphans and widows represent people who are vulnerable and cannot repay your kindness. I know many people who are nice towards their bosses or those they believe hold positions that can influence their lives and careers. But your heart toward the vulnerable reveals the authenticity of your faith.
— Grace makes you sensitive to people who are marginalized, overlooked, or forgotten by society. When grace is working in you, you notice people that others ignore.
— How you treat people who can’t advance your career, increase your income, or boost your reputation reveals whether you’re walking in genuine grace or just using faith for personal gain.
— God watches how you treat the cashier, the janitor, the homeless person, the elderly person who moves slowly, and the child who interrupts your conversation. These interactions reveal your heart.
— When you’re walking in grace, you naturally gravitate toward opportunities to help people who are struggling. You become a refuge for people who feel like they have nowhere else to turn.
— Grace gives you the ability to see people the way God sees them—valuable, worthy of love, and deserving of dignity regardless of their current circumstances.
— Your response to people in distress is a direct reflection of how much you understand God’s grace toward you. The more grace you’ve received, the more grace you’ll extend.
3. The Blessing of Abraham is on You—You Are Blessed to Be a Blessing.
God told Abraham, “I will bless you… and you will be a blessing.” Through faith in Christ, you are a spiritual descendant of Abraham, which means the same blessing and the same purpose are on your life. You are not just blessed to accumulate. You are blessed to distribute.
How this applies to you:
— You are connected to the Abrahamic covenant, which means you have access to supernatural provision so that you can be a supernatural blessing to others.
— I know many Christians today who make a demand on God to walk in the Blessing of Jesus, which is a spiritual blessing. However, the Bible teaches us that if any man is in Christ, they are Abraham’s seed. The Blessing of Abraham is on us (whether we are Jews or not), and this blessing is an earthly/material blessing.
— God’s plan of prosperity for your life includes making you a conduit of blessing to others. The purpose of prosperity is evangelism. We are to use the resources God gives us to advance His Kingdom plans and purposes. The more God blesses you, the more people should be blessed through you.
— Every blessing God gives you has two purposes: to benefit you and to flow through you to bless others. Your blessings are not just for your enjoyment. They’re for your employment in Kingdom purposes.
— When you understand that you are blessed to be a blessing, it changes how you view your resources, your influence, your talents, and your opportunities. Everything becomes a tool for blessing others.
— The grace that provides for you also empowers you to provide for others. You don’t have to choose between being blessed and being a blessing—grace enables both.
— God’s favor on your life should result in favor flowing through your life to people who need it. You become a distribution center for God’s goodness in the earth.
4. Grace Gives You Supernatural Ability to Impact the Lives of the Less Fortunate.
Paul was “eager” to help the poor because grace had given him both the heart and the ability to make a real difference. Grace doesn’t just give you compassion—it gives you the supernatural capability to be effective in helping people change their circumstances.
How this applies to you:
— Grace provides creative solutions for helping people that you wouldn’t think of in your natural mind. The Holy Spirit will give you wisdom about how to help people in ways that truly transform their lives.
— You don’t have to have unlimited resources to make an unlimited impact. Grace multiplies whatever you have and whatever you give to create maximum impact in people’s lives.
— Your assignment may specifically include a grace to help a particular group of people or to address specific needs in your community. Pay attention to what breaks your heart—it might be connected to your assignment.
— Your impact on the less fortunate becomes part of your testimony and opens doors for the gospel. People are drawn to practical love more than they’re drawn to religious talk.
— God will give you access to people, places, and resources that you need to fulfill the compassionate side of your calling. Grace provides everything you need to be effective in blessing others.
5. Remembering the Poor Keeps Your Heart Tender and Your Success in Perspective.
The apostles specifically asked Paul to “remember the poor” because they understood that staying connected to people in need keeps your heart tender and your priorities straight. When you’re isolated from struggle, you can become proud and forget your dependence on God and His grace.
How this applies to you:
— Regular contact with people who are struggling reminds you that “but for the grace of God, that would be me.” It keeps you humble and grateful for what God has done in your life.
— When you help people in need, it keeps you connected to the reality that everything you have is a gift from God. It protects you from pride and self-reliance.
— Helping others puts your problems in perspective. When you see what some people are dealing with, your challenges seem more manageable, and your blessings seem more significant.
— Staying connected to people who need help prevents you from becoming callous or indifferent to suffering. It keeps your heart soft towards God and His Spirit. Especially when you get involved in person. Writing a check is great, but doing the work in person causes you to come face-to-face with those in need, and these encounters keep you grounded.
— Your success should make you more generous, not more selfish. If success and money draw you away from God, then you have crossed a line God did not want you to cross. Money is the least of all riches in God’s Kingdom. God has no problem with you having money. He has a problem when money has you. Once money gets a hold of your heart, you will forget God, and it won’t take long before you taste the STING of the deceitfulness of riches.
— When you remember the poor, you remember who the source of your prosperity is. This keeps your heart in the right place as you continue to grow and prosper.
— God gives you influence and resources not just for your own benefit but so you can be His hands and feet to people who need hope, help, and practical assistance. Please never forget this.
I will note that we have a Back to School Drive coming up where we will give away 1,000 backpacks full of school supplies. If you want to give toward this, please go to https://ripministries.org/donate and make your tax-deductible donation. Thank you in advance.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for giving me creating in me an eagerness to bless others.
I am not obligated to help. I help because I want to. My heart is in my giving.
You give me a heart to help those who cannot help me in return.
The blessing of Abraham is on my life. I am blessed TO BE a blessing.
My success creates opportunities for others to be successful.
I remember the poor, and this keeps my heart tender and my priorities straight.
My resources, influence, and opportunities are tools for blessing others.
I am a distribution center for God’s goodness on the earth.
God’s grace flows through me to reach people who need hope and help.
I am living #TheGraceLife, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME.
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
