Review of  "Everyday Grace" - Part 1 - Jan 4th, 2026

As we step into a new year, many of us find ourselves at a crossroads between what we know about faith and how we actually live it out. The gap between our Sunday theology and Monday realities can feel overwhelming at times, but, we have a God who calls us to stay close to Him so He can help us navigate life with Him step-by-step. The answer isn't trying harder to understand and implement christian living , but receiving grace more deeply.


What Does It Really Mean to Live by Grace?

The word "grace" gets thrown around a lot in Christian circles, but what does it actually mean? The word 'grace' in our bible is the greek word "charis" - where we also get words like 'charisma' and 'eucharist'. It's not just unmerited favor, though that's part of it. Grace is God's joyful giving of himself to us, completely unprovoked by anything we've done. Grace is God's goodwill toward humanity - not because we earned it, but because it flows from his very nature. This is why we "say grace" to respond in gratitude(eucharisteo) for His good gifts. When the angels announced "peace on earth, goodwill toward men," they weren't talking about human goodwill, but God's goodwill being revealed to mankind. Grace is the goodness and unconditional love of God on display in a way that benefits and shows favor, blessing, and wholeness. 

How Does God Reveal His Grace?

Throughout Scripture, God reveals his grace in three primary ways:

Through His Presence
Whenever God shows up, that's grace in action. When we say phrases like "God is good all the time" we are echoing this sentiment. From creation to Jesus walking among us to the Holy Spirit dwelling within believers - God's presence itself is grace being manifested. We didn't summon him; he chose to come near and impart 'grace' in the form of life, help, salvation, counsel, etc....

Through His Word
Every time God speaks, something happens. His word creates, transforms, and reveals his character. The Bible isn't just a collection of good advice - it's God speaking grace into our lives, providing light for our path and nourishment for our souls. Jesus himself, was the Word of God in the previous form of  "presence" (Jn 1;1-4,14)

Through His Creation
Even in a broken world, creation displays God's grace. Every sunrise, every snowflake uniquely designed - these aren't necessities, they're grace gifts that draw us into gratitude and wonder at God's goodness. While that is amazing and beautiful, the most notable expression of God's grace in creation was humanity-- image bearers of God. These beings made from dust were fashioned to display His glory unlike anything else. He designed us to carry the marks of His grace into His beautiful creation. Even when sin entered through our disobedience, bringing destruction and separation, God's grace abounded by making a way for humanity to receive His help. 

When Jesus came to fix our brokenness and separation from God, He died and rose again as the initiator of what we call a 'new creation' (2 Cor 5:16-17). This expression of grace at the cross started something that heralds the fuller arrival of this 'new creation' kingdom. When we perceive how vast this grace is, we see that the church that began at Pentecost is the biggest, most wonderful expression of God's grace in the world today. 

I hope you're starting to see that His Presence by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers, and His Word  as the guiding light of their lives, displays the grace of God unlike anything else on earth. We are not just 'new creation' people  because our sinful state needed an overheaul. We are citizens and heralds of a gracious kingdom that transforms the heavens and the earth entirely. While we still have this mortal body, we surrender it to Christ, so that the power of the risen Christ might live through us- transforming us into image- bearers He created us to be. He is coming back and we are the trailblazers of that grace. This is why we await the return of Jesus!

What Does Eternal Life Actually Mean?

Here's where many of us have been misled. Eternal life isn't about going to heaven when we die. According to Jesus in John 17:3,

"This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

Read Philippians 3:8-10, Jeremiah 9:24, Jeremiah 29:13-14, 1 John 4:6-7 for more context.

Eternal life is knowing God experientially - not just knowing about him, but actually experiencing his presence, power, and character in daily life. It's available now, not just after death.

How Do We Grow in Knowing God?

To pull together those places we see the grace of God displayed in scripture, we as a church are going to focus our spiitual growth in grace through  these three interconnected pillars:

Surrendering to Jesus Daily
This means presenting ourselves to God each day, acknowledging that Jesus is Lord over every area of life. It's not about perfection, but about yielding control and forming our identity in Christ rather than in our circumstances, struggles, or achievements. This is where the 'new creation' Jesus follower recognizes, their resource for living is not merely human, it is a supernatural power to live- grace! The work of Jesus is the only way we get to receive this gift of grace. 

Being Guided by God's Word
Scripture isn't just for Sunday study - it's our daily guidance system. When we're governed by what God says rather than cultural opinions or personal feelings, we find stability and truth that doesn't change with circumstances. Romans 10:8-10 tells us that the Word of God, when it is believed and confessed, results in salvation (not just from sin, but all matters needing His saving work).

Being Empowered by His Spirit
The Holy Spirit is our personal trainer in the faith, constantly working to convict, teach, and empower us. He's the one who takes what Jesus has done in our first growth pillar and ensures it is powerfully lived out. He gives us the strength to live out what we know, transforming knowledge into experience. We live like the new creation we were made to be.

Why the Emphasis on Daily Living?

When we understand grace as God's power at work rather than just his forgiveness, everything changes. We stop striving to earn God's favor and start receiving his strength for transformation. We stop trying to change ourselves and others through willpower and start yielding to the Spirit's work. This isn't about becoming perfect Christians who have it all figured out. It's about becoming people who consistently turn to God's grace as our source of life, wisdom, and power.

Life Application

This week and for the rest of this year, challenge yourself to move from knowing about grace to experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit. Instead of trying to fix your problems through your own effort, practice surrendering each situation to Jesus, asking what his Word says about it, and yielding to the Holy Spirit's empowering.

Ask yourself these questions:

In what areas of my life am I still trying to earn God's favor rather than receiving his grace?
How can I practically surrender to Jesus' lordship in my daily decisions this week?
Where do I need to replace my opinions with God's Word as my authority?
What would it look like to depend on the Holy Spirit's power rather than my own strength in my current challenges?

The goal isn't perfection - it's knowing God more deeply through experiencing his grace in every area of life. When we stop striving and start receiving, we discover that his grace truly is sufficient for everything we face.