Faith Opens The Door Of Grace
A simple switch, a room full of light, a picture of faith opening the door to grace.
Devotional Credit: Adapted from Bob Hoekstra, Day by Day by Grace
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Grace grows where faith leans. That is the simple thread running through Habakkuk 2:4 and Romans 1:16-17. The righteous live by faith. Paul says the good news about Jesus is God’s power to rescue anyone who believes, and in that gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. Bob Hoekstra draws the line clearly. Pride stands on self. Faith leans into the Lord. Grace flows where we stop carrying ourselves and begin trusting Jesus to carry us.
This lands in ordinary life. We are not trying to earn a place. We are learning to stand in the place Jesus has already given. By faith we have access into this grace in which we stand. The door is not locked. Faith does not perform to deserve. Faith simply turns the handle on a door that Jesus already opened.
Hoekstra also helps us see how Scripture sings in harmony. The law demands righteousness. The gospel supplies righteousness as a gift in Jesus. What the law required, God now provides by grace through faith. That is true for our standing in heaven and for our walking on earth. We start by faith. We continue by faith. Step by step, we draw on what God has already given in Jesus.
And there is room for everyone who believes. Jew and Greek. Near and far. The family of God is a people created in Jesus, not a small set picked by personal merit. We belong together because the same grace has come to us in the same Lord. Today, we can walk with a quiet heart. Not pushing. Not posturing. Trusting Jesus to be our life in real moments.
Journal Entry - Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I steady your heart. The proud stand on themselves, and they sway. You are mine, so walk by faith. Lean your whole weight on me. I give grace to the humble, and I lift the bowed head. I brought you into this grace by the gospel of my Son. I continue you in the same way, from faith to faith.
The righteousness the law required I now provide in Jesus. You are in him. He is in you. I count you righteous by faith, and I shape your steps by the same faith. Do not return to measuring yourself by yourself. Abide in my Son. Let his life be the life you offer to every moment.
When shame tries to name you, remember, you stand in grace. When hurry tries to push you, remember, I work in you to will and to do. Present yourself to me. Rely on me. Walk with me. This is not passivity. This is partnership. I am the initiator. You are the responder. I am the life. You are the vessel. The righteous live by faith. You are righteous in Jesus. So take the next step trusting me to be enough right now.
I welcome you without fear. I strengthen you without strain. I lead you without burden. In Jesus, you are a new creation. Your old master has no claim. Reckon yourselves alive to God. Offer your members to me. As you trust me, I bear fruit that remains. Today, let us walk together in the grace you already stand in.
Real-Life Analogy
Turning on a lamp in a dim room is simple. The power is already in the house. The bulb is already in the socket. You do not manufacture electricity. You reach for the switch. Click. Light fills the room. Living by faith is like that. Jesus lives in you. His Spirit is present with power. You are not trying to generate light by effort. You are trusting the One who is light to shine through you as you turn the switch of faith.
Try this today. If a tense conversation is waiting at work, pause at the doorway and say, Lord, express your life through me in this meeting. Be my patience. Be my clarity. Then walk in, trusting him to do what you just entrusted to him. Watch for the quiet steadiness he supplies, and respond to the person in front of you with the kindness and truth he brings up in your heart.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank you that I stand in grace through Jesus. Thank you that righteousness is your gift, not my achievement. Thank you that access is open by faith, and that you gladly work in me to will and to do your good pleasure. Today I rely on your presence within me. I count myself alive to you. I welcome your life to move through my words, my work, and my choices. All glory to you for fruit that remains, since it is your life, not my effort, that makes it so.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Habakkuk 2:4. Romans 1:16-17. Romans 5:2. James 4:6. Romans 3:21-22. Galatians 2:20. Romans 6:1-14. John 15:1-5. Ephesians 2:8-9. Philippians 2:13.