Romans 5:2-5 (NKJV) through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
As Christians, we have peace with God and we are justified by faith. Therefore, grace is available to us whenever we feel depressed. Going to the throne of grace is being in the presence of God, and when we spend time in the presence of God, the Holy Spirit infuses strength into our inner spirits during the most challenging and difficult moments of our lives. This is what we call standing grace.
In her book “Up: Writing A New Chapter of Joy and Laughter”, Beth Jones writes: “Hope and praise are two of your best weapons against the blues. When your hope is deferred, it makes your heartsick. God wants you to hope. But you have to do it by faith. Hoping in God and His Word gives you the blueprint for a better future. To stir up your hope, remind yourself of what can be. Rehearse your dreams. Then praise God, because praising God is your next step of faith.”
Standing grace is the grace that God gives us to live the Christian life, to access by faith God’s strength, wisdom, and ability to do all that He has entrusted to us. Whatever you need to know, be, or do, God wants to grant grace to you in such a way that you have His supernatural ability in that area, may it be your work, your homemaking, your children’s education, or your spiritual life. It is “grace for the pace”— the spiritual refreshment and relief that we all need in life. Without grace, we will eventually burn out and resent the very things we once loved.
When we have favour with God, we will have faith that He hears our prayer, and this will carry us through all kinds of trials and tribulations of life. Through faith, we stand in grace.
1 Samuel 30: 7-8 (NKJV) Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
One quality of David that set him apart was his wisdom in seeking God’s opinion on the matter at hand. After David sought God’s face, God gave him the word of assurance and the course of action, which resulted in the recovery of all that they had lost.
Like David, we should continually seek the face of God, and investigate His Word to get wisdom regarding how to deal with the various situations in our lives, especially when we find ourselves oppressed or in the blues.
Sermon Series: UP! CG Campaign 2023 (Part 1)
祂的恩典鼓舞我们
【罗马书5:2-5】我们又藉着他，因信得以进入现在所站的恩典中，并且欢欢喜喜盼望神的荣耀。不但如此，就是在患难中也是欢欢喜喜的。因为知道患难生忍耐，忍耐生老练，老练生盼望，盼望不至于羞耻；因为所赐给我们的圣灵将神的爱浇灌在我们心里。
作为基督徒，我们与上帝和好，我们因信而称义。因此，每当我们感到沮丧时，我们都可以得到恩典。去到施恩座前就是进入神的同在中，当我们花时间与神同在时，在我们生命中最具挑战性和最困难的时刻，圣灵将力量注入我们内心的灵里。这就是我们所说的“永存的恩典”。
贝丝·琼斯在她的书《向上：谱写欢乐与笑声的新篇章》中写道：“希望和赞美是你对抗忧郁的两个最好武器。当你的希望被推迟时，它会让你感到心痛。上帝希望你心怀希望。但你必须凭信心去做。对上帝和祂的话语满怀希望会给你一个更美好未来的蓝图。为了激起你的希望，你要提醒自己什么是可能的。预演你的梦想。然后赞美上帝，因为赞美上帝是你信心的下一步。
永存的恩典是上帝赐给我们的恩典，让我们活出基督徒的生命，凭着信心支取上帝的力量、智慧和能力，去做祂所托付给我们的一切。无论你想知道什么，想成为什么，想做什么，神要以这样一种方式施恩给你，使你在那方面拥有祂超自然的能力，可能是你的工作，你的家庭，你孩子的教育，或者你的属灵生活。这是“行走的恩典”——我们在生活中都需要的灵性上的更新和释放! 没有恩典，我们最终会耗尽精力，怨恨自己曾经爱过的东西。
当我们蒙上帝的恩待时，我们相信祂会听到我们的祷告，并带我们度过生命中的各种试炼和磨难。靠着信心，我们站立在恩典中。
【撒母耳记上30:7-8】大卫对亚希米勒的儿子祭司亚比亚他说：“请你将以弗得拿过来。”亚比亚他就将以弗得拿到大卫面前。大卫求问耶和华说：“我追赶敌军，追得上追不上呢？”耶和华说：“你可以追，必追得上，都救得回来。”
使大卫脱颖而出的品质之一就是他具备就手头的事寻求神的观点的智慧。大卫寻求神的面之后，上帝给了大卫保证的话语和行动的步骤，使他们得回所有曾经失去的。
我们应该像大卫那样不断地寻求神的面，查考圣经以获得处理我们生活中的各种处境的智慧，尤其是当我们发现自己受到压迫或情绪低落的时候。
讲章系列：天天向上! 细胞小组活动 2023 （第一部分）
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