Wednesday

Related Verses
1 Cor. 15:10
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me.

Gal. 6:18
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

Heb. 11:5-6
5 By faith Enoch was translated so that he should not see death; and he was not found, because God had translated him. For before his translation he obtained the testimony that he had been well pleasing to God.
6 But without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes forward to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

2 Cor. 5:4, 9, 14-16 (15)
4 For also, we who are in this tabernacle groan, being burdened, in that we do not desire to be unclothed, but clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
9 Therefore also we are determined, whether at home or abroad, to gain the honor of being well pleasing to Him.
14 For the love of Christ constrains us because we have judged this, that One died for all, therefore all died;
15 And He died for all that those who live may no longer live to themselves but to Him who died for them and has been raised.
16 So then we, from now on, know no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him so no longer.

2 Cor. 6:1
1 And working together with Him, we also entreat you not to receive the grace of God in vain;

Related Reading
We need to realize that the falls portrayed in the book of Genesis are the background of a very positive picture that shows what God has done with the fallen human race. The main purpose of the record of Genesis is not to show the fall but to show how much God’s grace can do for fallen people. 

Genesis 6:8 says, “But Noah found favor in the sight of Jehovah.” Favor can also be translated “grace.” Finding grace in the sight of the Lord is not a small thing. What does “finding grace” mean? Notice that this verse does not say that God was gracious to Noah or that Jehovah granted grace to Noah. No, it says that Noah found grace. Remember that Genesis is a book filled with spiritual seeds. Here, in 6:8, we have the first mention of grace in the Bible. Noah was able to be what he was because he found grace in the sight of Jehovah. (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 371-372) 

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Hebrews 4:16 tells us to come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help. When I was young, nearly every day in my prayers I would say, “Lord, I am coming to the throne of grace. At Your throne of grace I find grace for my timely need. Lord, I need Your grace every minute. I not only need Your grace every year, every week, every day, and every hour but every minute. Without Your grace I simply cannot bear anything.” Today…I keep on telling the Lord, “Lord, I need Your grace every minute. I know that You are gracious and that You have grace ready for me. Lord, since grace needs my cooperation, I kneel before the throne of grace to find grace to meet my need.” Many times we simply cannot stand our situation, and we cannot face what is happening to us. However, there is a place called the throne of grace. Come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that you may receive mercy and find grace for timely help. 

Grace is not only something given by God, but it is God Himself doing things for us. Grace is not merely something objective that is given to us by God. Grace is God Himself coming to us and doing things for us. Are you weak? God will come to be your strength, and that coming of God is grace. Are you unable to face your situation? That need not be a problem, because God will come to stand with you and face that situation for and in you. This is grace…God’s presence was Noah’s strength and power. Noah not only enjoyed something given to him by God objectively, but he enjoyed God Himself. In the midst of a crooked, perverted, and adulterous generation, a generation whose temptations no one could withstand, Noah found grace in the sight of Jehovah. 

Consider the situation in modern society. I do not even dare to look at a newspaper. It contains too many temptations…I do not dare to look into the show windows…The talk you hear on the radio, at work, and at school is evil, corrupt, and devilish…This age is truly crooked, perverted, and adulterous; it is full of fornication and immorality. People talk about immorality without one bit of shame. Who can stand in such a generation? Not one of us is able to stand. We all have a fallen nature within us, the same evil nature that all men have. We need grace. We must come to the throne of grace boldly and say, “Lord, I am here. I need Your grace. I am not coming to ask You to give me good things. I am coming to find grace to meet my need. Lord, I cannot go to work or to school without Your presence. Lord, I cannot go to a department store without Your presence. Lord, I need You to stand with me. Come to be my strength. Lord, uphold me and sustain me.” (Life-study of Genesis, pp. 372-375) 

Further Reading: Life-study of Genesis, msg. 28