Note: Today is my wife’s birthday. If you know Isabella, please reach out to her and wish her a happy birthday.
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. Today, we continue with Galatians 2:21, but I want to show you how this verse transforms the way you make decisions, handle pressure, and navigate your daily life as a busy Christian.
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 2:21 TPT
“I refuse to be one who nullifies God’s grace. For if righteousness could be obtained by the law, then Christ would have died for nothing!”
Galatians 2:21 ERV
“This gift of God is very important to me. I don’t want to make it useless. If we could be made right with God by following the law, then Christ did not have to die.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
James 1:5 TPT
“And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace.”
Setting the Stage:
Here’s what I want you to understand today: Every decision you make is either powered by grace or powered by performance, and the difference determines whether you succeed with peace or burn out from pressure.
Most busy Christians operate from a performance-based mindset without even realizing it. They make decisions based on fear, pressure, and the need to prove themselves rather than from grace, wisdom, and trust in God’s provision. Whether you’re dealing with workplace challenges, family responsibilities, financial pressures, or personal goals, the way you make decisions reveals whether you’re living by grace or by works.
When Paul said, “I refuse to be one who nullifies God’s grace,” he was declaring that he would not make the grace of God useless in his life by trying to accomplish (through human effort) what God wanted to accomplish (through divine grace). This applies directly to how you handle your job, raise your family, manage your schedule, and pursue your dreams.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Grace Transforms How You Handle Workplace Pressure and Difficult People.
Paul declares: “I refuse to be one who nullifies God’s grace.” When you nullify God’s grace at work, you wind up attempting to deal with difficult bosses, challenging coworkers, and overall workplace stress from a human point of view. This often leads to emotional reactions based in the flesh, instead of careful and prayerful reactions that are based in God’s peace and grace.
How this applies to you:
— Living a performance-based work life is all about going out into the world every day to prove your value, protect your position, and fight for the recognition you believe you deserve. However, living a grace-based work life, you go out into the world every day ready to serve with excellence as unto the Lord, regardless of how people appreciate you or treat you fairly. While you want to be recognized and appreciated, you know that you are ultimately working for the Lord and He will see to it that you receive a harvest on the seeds sown. This frees you to BE a blessing, even to difficult people, because you are not doing what you do for them. You are doing it for God.
— When you encounter a difficult boss, an uncooperative colleague, or an outrageous demand at work, the grace of God empowers you to respond with patience, wisdom, and peace instead of stress, anger, or fear. When you do this, it often turns challenging work situations into testimonies of God’s goodness.
— When you live #TheGraceLife, you stop taking workplace criticism and setbacks personally because you understand that your identity is not based on your position or people’s opinions. When someone criticizes your work or passes you over for promotion, the grace of God helps you to receive legitimate feedback while rejecting lies about your value and potential.
— Grace gives you supernatural wisdom to know when to speak up about workplace issues and when to remain quiet and pray. Instead of either being passive or confrontational, you learn to navigate office politics and difficult situations with divine wisdom.
— Your coworkers experience something different when they work with you. There’s a peace, reliability, and genuine care that flows through your work relationships that makes people want to work with you. You become the person who is trusted with important projects because you have the right disposition, you display uncommon wisdom, and you know how to get along with people.
— Grace empowers you to set healthy boundaries at work without guilt or fear. You feel empowered by God to say “NO” to unreasonable demands, you work reasonable hours, and you protect your family time while still serving with excellence in your role.
— Your reputation at work becomes known for integrity, competence, and treating people well, which opens doors for promotions and opportunities that aggressive networking could never create.
2. Grace Revolutionizes How You Handle Family Responsibilities and Relationships.
Paul continues: “For if righteousness could be obtained by the law, then Christ would have died for nothing!” Just as the law cannot produce righteousness, your family rules, guilt trips, and performance expectations cannot produce the loving relationships you desire. When you try to manage your family through control instead of grace, you nullify the very power that could bring genuine peace and transformation to your home.
How this applies to you:
— Performance-based family life focuses on controlling everyone’s behavior, managing all the outcomes, and making sure your family looks good to the public. Grace-based family life focuses on loving people with God’s love, creating a peaceful atmosphere, and trusting God to work in everyone’s heart.
— Instead of trying to control everything like your spouse’s temperament, your children’s decisions, or your extended family member’s opinions, the grace of God empowers you to focus on your own heart and responses while praying for others to encounter the same God who changed you.
— Grace gives you the patience to deal with family members who are difficult, rebellious, or going through challenging seasons. Instead of feeling like you have to fix everyone, you learn to love them where they are while trusting God to do the heart work that only He can do.
— When you live #TheGraceLife, your home becomes a place of rest and restoration for everyone who lives there or visits. People experience God’s peace and love through the atmosphere you create, making your home a safe haven in a stressful world.
— You approach family conflicts, parenting challenges, and relationship pressures as opportunities to demonstrate God’s grace rather than prove who’s right. This creates an atmosphere where people feel safe to be honest, make mistakes, and grow.
— Grace empowers you to apologize when you’re wrong, forgive when you’re hurt, and love people even when they don’t deserve it. Your family experiences unconditional love that reflects God’s heart and creates security in relationships.
— I am currently in the Dominican Republic. One of my family members did something to my Mom that hurt me when I got here. In many families, this would cause a rift. But I refuse to hold grudges. I prayed for the family member, and I let it go. I saw them yesterda,y and I had no resentment in my heart towards them. That’s grace.
3. Grace Changes How You Handle Financial Pressures and Life Goals.
Paul’s declaration about not nullifying grace applies to how you approach money management, career aspirations, and personal dreams. When you try to secure your future through human planning and effort alone, you miss the supernatural provision that grace provides. I have told you this many times, but you must grow to the point where you know God is your source!
How this applies to you:
— Performance-based financial thinking says you have to work multiple jobs, save every penny, and stress about every expense to be financially secure. Grace-based financial thinking says you work with excellence and manage money wisely, but your confidence is in God’s ability to provide for your needs and fulfill His plans for your life.
— Instead of panicking about bills, debt, or unexpected expenses, grace empowers you to handle financial challenges with peace and wisdom. You do what you can practically while trusting God to work out what you cannot control.
— Grace gives you supernatural insight about career decisions, job changes, and professional opportunities. When you’re seeking God’s direction for your life, He can guide you to positions, connections, and possibilities that you never would have discovered on your own.
— You approach your personal goals and dreams (whether it’s buying a house, starting a family, going back to school, or changing careers) with faith and patience rather than anxiety and pressure. You work hard toward your goals while resting and trusting God’s timing and provision.
— Grace empowers you to be generous even when your budget is tight. When you know God is your source and He will never run out, you never stop giving. You know your continuous generosity (sowing) positions you for a continuous harvest.
— You stop comparing your financial situation to others and start celebrating God’s faithfulness in your life. Grace teaches you to be content with what you have while believing God for increase according to His purposes and timing.
— Your approach to financial planning includes both practical wisdom and spiritual guidance. You create budgets, pay off debt, and save for the future, but you also seek God’s direction about major financial decisions and trust Him to multiply your efforts; all the while resting in His ability to provide for you.
4. Grace-Based Decision Making Aligns Your Life with God’s Purposes.
Paul understood that nullifying grace means missing out on God’s best plans for your life. This means making life decisions based solely on human wisdom and worldly expectations, rather than seeking God’s direction for your unique calling and purpose.
How this applies to you:
— Performance-based life planning relies entirely on what makes sense financially, what others expect from you, and what seems most secure or prestigious (where this world is concerned). Grace-based life planning includes practical considerations but also seeks God’s wisdom about His unique purposes for your life and how He wants to use you in His Kingdom. In other words, you are willing to do whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to do, even if the system of this world would expect a different direction.
— Grace empowers you to pursue opportunities and make choices that may not make sense to others but align with God’s calling on your life. Instead of only following the most obvious or expected path, you’re open to directions that God gives you that may lead to greater impact and fulfillment.
— When you live #TheGraceLife, you make major life decisions with peace and confidence rather than anxiety and second-guessing. Even when choices are difficult or outcomes are uncertain, grace gives you the assurance that God is guiding your steps and working all things together for your good.
— Your major life decisions (where to live, what job to take, how to spend your time, what to focus on) become aligned with Kingdom purposes. Instead of making choices based solely on personal benefit, you consider how your decisions can serve God’s plans for your life.
— Today we are studying Gal 2:21; however, back in verse 20, Paul said, “now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me.” What was Paul saying? He was saying, “My life is no longer my own. Jesus paid for my life with His own blood, so I will do, with this life, whatever He leads me to do!” This is my testimony, and this is how I live.
— Your life goals include eternal impact and Kingdom advancement. While you pursue personal success and happiness, the #1 focus of your life is doing what God sent you to this planet to do!
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I refuse to nullify Your grace in any area of my life!
I declare that I make every decision from grace, not from fear, pressure, or human reasoning alone.
I will seek Your wisdom for every major choice, trusting You to guide my steps and provide supernatural insight.
My life is no longer my own. I will do, with my life, whatever You lead me to do!
My life is ALL ABOUT YOU!
My life is a demonstration of Your goodness and a channel for Your Kingdom purposes.
I am living #TheGraceLife without nullifying Your grace, and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
