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 2:6 TPT
“Their reputation as important leaders meant nothing to me, for God is not impressed by titles or the status of men. Those influential leaders contributed nothing new to my revelation.”
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 TPT
“Now there are different varieties of spiritual gifts, but it is the same Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different varieties of ministries and service, but it is the same Lord for whom we serve. There are many different ways that God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work in and through all of us.”
2 Corinthians 10:12 ERV
“We don’t dare put ourselves in the same class with those who think so much of themselves. We don’t compare ourselves with them. They use themselves to measure themselves, and they judge themselves by what they themselves are. This shows that they know nothing.”
Setting the Stage:
In our last message, we learned how to know when God is speaking versus when you need godly counsel. We discovered that Paul protected the purity of his divine revelation while still being open to wisdom from spiritual leaders. We learned to treasure what God reveals to us directly while remaining humble enough to receive wisdom from those who have walked before us.
Here’s what Paul understood that we must learn: It takes all of us to be the body of Christ. If everybody were like Paul, there would be gaps in the Kingdom. If everybody were like Peter, the Gentiles might never have heard the gospel. The diversity of our callings is what makes the body complete.
The Apostle Paul was able to fellowship with the Jerusalem apostles, let them talk about what they were called to do, and talk about what he was called to do without any competition. Why? Because he understood that we’re all part of something bigger than ourselves.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Grace Teaches You to Run Your Own Race Without Comparing Yourself to Others.
Paul says “the same God who empowered Peter’s apostolic ministry… also flowed through me.” This means the same grace that’s working in other people’s lives is available to work in your life too, but it will look different because your assignment is unique.
How this applies to you:
— You don’t have to copy someone else’s calling to be successful. The grace that made them effective in their assignment will make you effective in yours, but your assignment will have its own unique expression.
— Stop comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle or end. The person you’re comparing yourself to may have been walking in their calling for years, while you’re just getting started. Run your race with grace, at your pace.
— Your success is not measured by how much you look like someone else but by how faithfully you fulfill what God has called YOU to do. The same God who anointed them has anointed you for your specific assignment.
— When you see someone excelling in their calling, celebrate them instead of competing with them. Their success doesn’t diminish your opportunities—it proves that God is moving and that there’s room for all of us to succeed in our individual assignments.
— You have something unique to offer that no one else can provide. If you spend all your time trying to be like someone else, the world will miss out on what you were born to contribute to the body of Christ.
— The grace that flows through you is specifically designed for your assignment. Stop trying to operate in someone else’s grace and start accessing the grace that’s already been provided for your unique calling.
— Your race has its own finish line, its own pace, and its own rewards. Focus on running your race well instead of looking around at what everyone else is doing.
2. Grace Reveals That Different Callings Don’t Mean Different Levels of Importance.
Paul and Peter had “the same commission” but to different people groups. This teaches us that all callings are equally important in God’s eyes, even when they look completely different from the outside.
How this applies to you:
— Your calling is not less important because it doesn’t look like the calling of someone you admire. God doesn’t have favorite children, and He doesn’t have throwaway assignments.
— Stop devaluing your contribution because it seems “smaller” or “less visible” than someone else’s. The person called to reach one heart may be just as important as the person called to reach thousands.
— Every member of the body of Christ is essential. If you don’t fulfill your calling, there will be a gap that no one else can fill. Your assignment matters to the overall success of God’s Kingdom.
— Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for not having their calling or their passion. You are called to be faithful to what God has placed in your heart, not to duplicate someone else’s assignment.
— The marketplace calling is just as sacred as the ministry calling. The grace that flows through the preacher also flows through the teacher, the business owner, the parent, and the student who are all walking in their divine assignments.
— Your sphere of influence is perfectly designed for what God wants to accomplish through your life. Don’t despise the day of small beginnings or wish you had someone else’s platform.
— God gets the same glory when you excel in your calling as when anyone else excels in theirs. Your obedience in your assignment brings God just as much pleasure as anyone else’s obedience in their assignment.
3. Grace Enables You to Fellowship with Others Without Feeling Threatened by Their Success.
Paul was able to fellowship with the Jerusalem apostles and let them talk about their calling while he talked about his calling without competition. This is what grace does—it removes the insecurity that makes us feel threatened by other people’s success.
How this applies to you:
— You can celebrate other people’s victories without feeling like their success somehow diminishes your opportunities or assignment. There’s enough room in God’s Kingdom for everyone to succeed in their individual callings.
— When you’re secure in your own calling, you don’t feel the need to compete with or criticize people who are walking in different assignments. You can cheer for them while focusing on your own race.
— You can learn from other people’s experiences without feeling like you have to copy their methods. Take the principles that apply to your situation and leave what doesn’t fit your calling.
— Grace teaches you to build relationships instead of building walls. When you’re not competing with everyone, you can actually form genuine friendships and partnerships that strengthen everyone involved.
— You can ask for advice and mentorship from people who are excelling in areas where you want to grow without feeling inferior or intimidated by their success.
— Your relationships become about mutual encouragement instead of subtle competition. You can genuinely pray for other people’s success because their breakthrough doesn’t threaten your breakthrough. This is why I am so excited about our Men’s conference. I get to hang out and fellowship with my Brothers, who are called to do different things, and we all get to celebrate and support each other.
— You can network and collaborate with people in your field without constantly comparing yourself to them or feeling like you have to prove you’re better than they are.
4. Grace Helps You Honor Spiritual Authority While Staying True to Your Own Calling.
Even though Paul didn’t need the Jerusalem apostles to validate his ministry, he still honored them and fellowshipped with them. He understood that you can respect spiritual authority while maintaining confidence in your own calling. Further, Paul understood the power of having a spiritual covering because he was a spiritual father to Timothy.
How this applies to you:
— You can honor the wisdom and experience of spiritual leaders while trusting the Holy Spirit’s guidance in your personal calling. You don’t have to choose between submission and authenticity.
— While most of us today do have spiritual fathers, mothers, pastors, and mentors assigned to our lives, we must learn to receive from them without becoming dependent on their approval for our sense of identity and calling.
— Like Timothy received from Paul, you can glean from your spiritual covering while developing your own relationship with God and your own understanding of what He’s called you to do.
— Don’t think that just because Paul got everything directly from Jesus and didn’t have a traditional pastoral covering, that’s the way it’s supposed to be for everyone. Most of us need and benefit from spiritual authority speaking the word of God over our lives.
— Honor and respect the spiritual authority in your life the way Timothy honored Paul, but don’t make their opinion of you the source of your confidence. God’s opinion of you is the ultimate authority.
— You can receive correction, guidance, and input from spiritual leaders while maintaining your direct access to God and your personal responsibility to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in your life.
— Balance receiving from spiritual authority with developing your own spiritual maturity. You want to be teachable and submitted, but not dependent on others for what God wants to show you directly.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I declare that I will run my own race with grace, at my own pace, without comparing myself to others or competing with fellow believers.
I understand that the same grace that flows through other people’s callings is available to flow through mine, and I will stop trying to copy someone else’s assignment.
I declare that my calling is equally important to Yours in Your eyes, regardless of how it looks compared to others, and I will not devalue my contribution to the body of Christ.
I will celebrate other people’s victories without feeling threatened, knowing that there’s room for all of us to succeed in our individual assignments.
I can fellowship with other believers, learn from their experiences, and build genuine relationships without competition or insecurity.
I will honor spiritual authority in my life while maintaining confidence in my own calling and direct relationship with You.
I declare that I am perfectly equipped with Your grace to fulfill everything You’ve called me to do, and I will not waste time wishing I had someone else’s assignment.
I am part of the larger body of Christ, and my unique contribution is essential to the success of Your Kingdom.
I declare that 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!
