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.
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.”
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??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??
Additional scriptures for today:
John 1:14 NIV
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:17 NIV
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 5:11,12 MSG
“As for the rumor that I continue to preach the ways of circumcision (as I did in those pre-Damascus Road days), that is absurd. Why would I still be persecuted, then? If I were preaching that old message, no one would be offended if I mentioned the Cross now and then–it would be so watered-down it wouldn’t matter one way or the other.”
Setting the stage:
The Apostle Paul was not happy with the church in Galatia. The believers there had been set free through God’s grace, but they were being pulled back into bondage. This bondage came in the form of trying to mix God’s grace with human performance. False teachers had convinced them that faith in Christ alone was not enough. They believed they needed to ADD human effort, religious practices, and performance metrics to what Jesus had already provided. Paul saw this mixing of law and grace as a direct attack on the purity of the Gospel message. He knew that once you start adding human performance requirements to God’s grace, you’ve fundamentally changed the message. You’ve taken something that is freely given and tried to earn it. You’ve corrupted something that is pure with human effort. The challenge these believers faced is the same one we face today. We get saved by grace, but then we try to perfect ourselves through human effort. We start our journey in the Spirit, but then we try to continue it in the flesh. This mixing of law and grace – of human performance and divine provision – doesn’t make the Gospel better. As Paul says, it waters it down. Today, we’ll learn why we must keep God’s grace pure and free from human performance.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Don’t Bring Worldly Performance Metrics Into Your Relationship with God.
The Apostle Paul was deeply concerned about believers mixing God’s grace with human performance requirements. He understood that adding even a small amount of performance-based thinking to grace would corrupt the entire gospel message. This is especially relevant in today’s performance-driven business world.
How this applies to you:
— As a busy professional, you may be tempted to mix performance-based metrics with grace, thinking you need to earn God’s favor through your achievements. That’s understandable because you are constantly driven to perform at work and know your performance is being tracked and measured. Many don’t realize it, but they bring this mindset into the church and their relationship with God.
— When you add human performance requirements to grace, you create unnecessary pressure that affects your internal temperament and disposition, your external leadership style, and your overall decision-making. Instead of resting and making decisions from a place of peace, you make decisions from a place of pressure.
— Many leaders unconsciously run their organizations on performance-based metrics while trying to live their spiritual lives by grace – this dichotomy creates internal conflict, and they may not even be aware of it.
— The moment you start believing your success depends on your performance rather than God’s grace, you’ve watered down the Gospel in your life, and you have taken on the pressure to perform.
— God wants to flow through you supernaturally in your workplace, but He can’t if you’re focused on earning His favor through your performance.
— Your quarterly results don’t determine God’s love for you or His willingness to use you.
— Understanding pure grace enables you to pursue excellence without the pressure of trying to earn God’s approval.
— Even high achievers need to separate their professional performance tracking from their standing with God – your value to Him never changes.
— When dealing with workplace stress or challenges, remember that God’s grace is not activated by your performance but by your faith.
2. The Power of Pure Grace.
When Paul spoke about grace, he didn’t mince words. He was so passionate about preserving the purity of grace that he used strong language against those who tried to add human requirements to it. His intensity shows us how critical it is to maintain grace in its pure form.
How this applies to you:
— Like Paul, you may face opposition when you fully embrace grace, especially from those invested in performance-based systems.
— Religious people will fight you tooth and nail if you try to explain to them that rites, rituals, and routines do not make us right with God.
— Your ability to receive from God is not tied to your performance but to your faith in Jesus and His finished work.
— When you remove performance from your relationship with God, you position yourself to experience His supernatural power in every area of your life. It will also change your mindset at work.
— Pure grace means you can make bold decisions, as you are being led by the Holy Spirit, knowing that God’s ability, not yours, determines the outcome.
— Understanding grace doesn’t mean lowering standards; it means accessing divine power to exceed them. You will work harder and smarter, accomplish more, and become more industrious and innovative becuase you won’t be the one doing the work. It will be the Father, living in you, giving you the words and performing the work (see John 14:10, 1 Cor 15:10).
— The Holy Spirit can give you supernatural solutions to business challenges when you’re not striving in your own strength.
— When facing difficult decisions, step back and ask yourself: “Am I trying to earn God’s blessing, or am I trusting Him and resting in His grace?“
3. Living in Pure Grace.
The Gospel of grace is not just a theological concept. Today’s Word is all about practical application. When you truly understand grace, you realize that God’s power flowing through you is far more effective than any human effort could ever be. This will change the way you live. It has certainly done so for me.
How this applies to you:
— Stop trying to earn what God has freely given – your position in Christ is secure regardless of your performance.
— Pure grace means acknowledging that every success comes through you, not from you.
— Your natural abilities are simply platforms for God’s supernatural power to flow through.
— Many professionals excel at strategic planning. However, the problem is that long-term planners often struggle to trust God’s plan because God may not tell you everything upfront. If God told you everything, you would not need faith. Therefore, walking with God involves a certain level of mystery, and we must be okay with planning while remaining flexible to divine direction.
— When working on strategic plans or budgets, remember that while you use your skills, you’re relying on His supernatural ability.
— Before important meetings or presentations, remind yourself that God’s grace is sufficient – His power works best when you stop trying to prove yourself.
— When you understand grace, you can pursue aggressive business goals while resting in God’s ability.
— Living in pure grace means you can face any challenge knowing that God’s power, not your capability, determines the outcome.
4. Grace Releases Supernatural Results.
Many believers struggle to see supernatural results because they’re still mixing grace with human effort. But when you fully embrace grace, you position yourself to experience God’s power in ways that far exceed human capability.
How this applies to you:
— Like George Washington Carver receiving divine downloads about peanuts, you can receive supernatural solutions to workplace challenges.
— When you stop trying to earn God’s favor, you position yourself to hear His voice more clearly.
— Grace enables you to maintain peace under pressure, knowing God’s ability exceeds your experience.
— In meetings and negotiations, you can access wisdom that surpasses human understanding.
— Living by grace means you can pursue aggressive goals while resting in God’s ability.
— During your morning routine, take time to acknowledge that today’s success will come through God’s grace, not your striving.
— When facing impossible deadlines or challenging projects, remember that supernatural results come through resting in His grace, not intensifying your effort.
— Your education and experience become platforms for God’s supernatural wisdom to flow through while knowing that you are not limited to them!
— You become a conduit for divine solutions in your workplace when you’re no longer striving in your own strength.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for revealing the power of pure grace to me.
I reject any attempt to water down Your grace with human performance.
Your supernatural ability flows freely through me as I rest in Your finished work.
I access divine wisdom and supernatural solutions as I trust in Your grace.
My success comes through Your ability, not my performance.
I maintain peace under pressure, knowing Your grace is sufficient.
I am a conduit of Your supernatural power and wisdom in my workplace.
Excellence flows through me naturally as I rest in Your grace.
Your wisdom surpasses my education and experience as I yield to You.
Living in THE GRACE LIFE in 2025 and beyond and, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and prosper!
