Grace is always working

“Life is an experience of falling down and getting up—falling down and getting up—falling down and getting up. Therefore, be not discouraged because you have not arrived. The task of putting off the old nature and putting on the new is God’s work, and God is patient and merciful beyond our wildest dreams.”

These words came from a sermon written years ago by John R. Claypool, a distinguished preacher who had much impact on me in my formative days. It is a reminder that transformation is the key spiritual goal, and it is the work of a lifetime.

“Putting off the old nature” is a biblical way of referring to the changes we make as we grow in Christ. The image reminds me of changing clothes. You have to take something off to put on a new garment. The new nature in Christ is a new way of living. You don’t have to be what you have always been. You don’t have to act or react as you always have. You don’t have to be stuck in the ruts you have always endured. In Christ, life can be new. But it has to be put on consciously, not merely as a wishful thought.

This process is not about achieving goals, a common theme in self help books. It is about experiencing grace. The only way to know grace is to get it firsthand. I never knew much about grace in my own experience until I went through the pain of a divorce. It was a tragic failure in my life, a failure so terrible it disqualified me from having anything else to say about God. Or so I thought. In the process of getting through that time, God picked me up again and again. I discovered in my own experience that grace is always greater than any of our failures.

God is more patient and merciful than we can possibly imagine. In whatever circumstances you find yourself today, remember that transformation is taking place in your life. It is God’s work, and it is filled with grace. Trust God with all of your life, and watch the hands of mercy at work.