As believers in Christ, we can enjoy the grace of life as our inheritance (whether we’re weak or strong), we have the varied grace of God as the riches of God’s grace in its varieties enjoyed and ministered by the saints to one another, and God gives us grace when we’re humble but resists us when we’re proud.
Hallelujah for God in Christ as the Spirit being grace to us for our enjoyment today!
In the Epistles of Peter we see how grace is so rich, so bountiful, so applicable, and so involved with our daily life and our experience of Christ.
On the one hand, grace is nothing but God in Christ as the Spirit who gives life coming to us to supply us and give us everything we need for our enjoyment and for us to live Christ.
On the other hand, this is not just grace; this grace is varied, full of attributes and functions, and it is so applicable in each and every one of our situations.
Today we as believers in Christ are no longer under the law; we are not required to do things for God according to His word – we simply need to enjoy and live by His grace so that we may express Christ as grace.
We are no longer in the age of the law and we should not return to being under law, trying to obey the righteous requirements of the law.
Rather, we need to enjoy Christ as grace, for the law was given through Moses but grace came through Jesus Christ. Our Christian life began by grace; through faith we were saved, by grace, and no one can boast of his merits regarding his or her salvation.
We were not saved because we were better or more seeking than others; rather, it is God’s mercy and His grace that we are saved.
Our Christian life after being saved should be a life of enjoying God in Christ as grace.
We have begun by grace and now we need to live by grace. In every situation, we need to enjoy the Lord as grace.
As we come to the Lord in His word to read and pray His word, the processed Triune God becomes our enjoyment, and He in us becomes our inward motivation to live the Christian life and our outward expression.
We just need to fellowship with the Lord in an intimate way, having the consciousness of God, and the Lord in us will motivate us to live the Christian life and He will even live in us, for only Christ can live the Christian life. Hallelujah for such a grace!
The Grace of Life is the Inheritance of all the Believers – We’re Heirs Inheriting the Grace of Life and Vessels Containing the Grace of Life!
1 Pet. 3:7 mentions the grace of life; the grace of life is the inheritance of all the believers in Christ, whether they are weak or strong.
In this verse Peter charges the husbands to dwell together with their wives according to knowledge, as with the weaker female vessel, assigning honour to them as to fellow heirs of the grace of life, so that their prayers may not be hindered.
We are fellow heirs of the grace of life.
What is the grace of life? The grace of life is God as life and life supply to us in His Divine Trinity to be everything to us.
The Father is the source of life, the Son is the course of life, and the Spirit is the flow of life, flowing within us, with the Son and the Father, as grace to us (John 7:38-39; Rev. 22:1).
As we live our Christian life and especially as we live our married life, we need to enjoy the grace of life and realize that we’re heirs of the grace of life.
We believers in Christ are heirs to inherit the grace of life and vessels to contain the grace of life (1 Pet. 3:7; Eph. 1:14; 2 Cor. 4:7).
Something has been bequeathed to us, and all we have to do is come, inherit it and enjoy it.
There is a divine will given to us – God left us immense riches and great properties for our enjoyment; we need to just come to the Lord and enjoy the grace of life.
May the Lord enlighten us and cause us to see that we are inheritors of the grace of life, and we are vessels containing the grace of life!
How can we enjoy this grace of life? We simply need to come to the Lord again and again.
As the Lord said in Matt. 11:28-29, we simply need to come to Him with all our toils, burdens, and struggles, and He will give us the grace of life – He will give us rest for our souls.
As we open to the Lord, return to Him, we will rest in Him and we will be saved (Isa. 30:15).
May we be willing to come to the Lord.
He is the Lamb on the throne, and this throne is our spirit. As we come forward with boldness to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16), we receive mercy and find grace for timely help.
There is a river of water of life flowing out of the throne of God and of the Lamb; as we exercise our spirit and contact the Lord, grace as a river shall flow!
And this can be applied in our married life. We are fellow heirs of the grace of life with our spouse, and we need to live together by enjoying this grace of life.
We can keep the relationship in our married life by enjoying the grace of life together.
Many times the enemy comes in to do something in the relationship between the husband and the wife, especially in the younger couples.
There are preferences coming from their background, culture, and upbringing, or there may be pursuits in the world that they have that differ from the others.
We need to pray for one another that we will return to our spirit and just enjoy the grace of life together.
The grace of life is our portion of our inheritance.
For both the husband and the wife, the Triune God is our life, and we have Him in our spirit as our grace of life.
May we enjoy the grace of life day by day, both in our personal life, our married life, and our church life!
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us the grace of life for our portion of enjoyment today! Hallelujah, the grace of life is the inheritance of all the believers in Christ, whether they are strong or weak! Amen, Lord, we turn to our spirit to come forward to the throne of grace today! We exercise our spirit in all our situations so that we may inherit the grace of life and enjoy this grace! Wow, Lord, grace is with our spirit! Praise the Lord, we are vessels containing the grace of life and we are inheritors of the grace of life! May we never forget that we have the grace of life as our portion. May we keep coming forward to the throne of God so that we may drink the river of water of life flowing from the throne! Amen, Lord, we come to You right now! We want to enjoy You as the grace of life! May we enjoy this grace of life in our married life, in our family life, and in the church life today!
The Varied Grace of God is the Riches of the Grace of God in its Varieties Enjoyed and Ministered by the Saints to one another
In 1 Pet. 4:10 Peter says that each one of us in the church life, as we have received a gift, we need to minister it among ourselves as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
Each one of us as believers in Christ is a minister of the varied grace of God.
Did you know that the grace of God is varied? Did you ever realize that there are varieties of grace? Wow!
The varied grace of God in this verse indicates the riches of the grace of God in its varieties enjoyed by each of the saints and ministered by each of the saints to others.
The varied grace of God is the rich supply of life, which is the Triune God ministered into us in many aspects (2 Cor. 13:14; 12:9).
There are varieties of the grace of God; as we enjoy God in Christ as the grace of life in our experience, we have the varied grace of God.
For example, there’s a particular grace for someone who is single, and there’s another kind of grace for someone who is married.
There is a particular grace for a couple who has one child, and there is a different variety of grace for a family with three or more children.
There are more responsibilities, more problems, and more trials; there is a varied grace for us as we go through all these things.
The varied grace of God is grace coming to us from many directions: grace comes to us from the direction of our spouse, from the direction of each child, from the direction of every brother or sister we coordinate with, and even from the direction of our workmates and our boss at work.
There is a varied grace which we can enjoy as we go through all these things. Grace varies according to our situation and environment.
For example, the husband enjoys a particular grace when his wife is naturally submissive and nice, but he enjoys a different variety of grace when she is difficult; this is the same in the case of the wife.
As we enjoy grace from all directions and from all situations, we become good stewards of the varied grace of God and we can minister this grace to others.
As we pass through all kinds of situations and experiences and we open to the Lord to enjoy Him as grace, we accumulate the varied grace of God.
The Lord allows us to pass through particular experiences, and He arranges specific situations and people around us so that we may enjoy the varied grace of God.
Then, when we come together with the saints, we can minister this varied grace of God to others.
Someone else may pass through the same situations as we do, and we can minister something of the varied grace of God we have enjoyed and experienced, for that person to be helped.
We need to be good stewards of the varied grace of God, speaking the words of grace as the oracles of God and ministering out of the strength and power of grace, which God supplies (1 Pet. 4:10-11; Luke 4:22; Eph. 3:2; 4:29).
We may think that we’re not qualified to be a minister, but as we enjoy and experience the grace of life, we have the varied grace of God constituted into us.
Then, when we come together with the saints, we can minister this grace to others also.
For example, we may give hospitality to someone; this requires a particular kind of grace, for we need to make certain sacrifices and allow those people to use our things, even sleep in our beds, etc.
Then, we can minister the portion of grace we have enjoyed during this time.
When we meet others, we need to speak words of grace to others. Our words are very important.
When we speak words to others, we need to speak words of grace, to give grace to those who hear.
We can testify that in our family life and in the church life some words are used by the enemy to bring in problems, troubles, and dissension, and there is much disturbance when the wrong words are spoken.
One word or one attitude not with grace can be used by Satan to attack the church and open the door for the enemy’s attack.
May we enjoy the Lord as grace day by day and may we learn to speak words of grace to those who hear.
Lord Jesus, keep us turning to You in all our situations to enjoy You as the varied grace of God! Hallelujah, the riches of God’s grace in its varieties can be enjoyed and ministered by us! Amen, Lord, we open to You as we go through all the situations and things during the day. We want to enjoy You as the grace of God, the rich supply of life. May the Triune God be ministered to us in many aspects according to our situation and environment. Oh Lord, grant us today’s portion of grace. Grant us the particular portion of grace we need to go through the situation we are in right now. We want to enjoy the varieties of the grace of God and speak the words of grace to others also! Amen, Lord, may we be good stewards of the varied grace of God! May we speak the words of grace as the oracles of God! May we minister out of the strength and power of grace, which God supplies!
God Gives Grace to the Humble but He Resists the Proud: may we Enjoy God’s Grace!
1 Pet. 5:5 is a very well-known verse telling us that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Younger men need to be subject to the elders, and we all need to gird ourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
In the church life, we all need to gird ourselves with humility toward one another so that we may enjoy God as the grace-giver (John 13:3-5).
The Lord Jesus girded Himself with humility when He was with His disciples, loving them to the uttermost by washing their feet.
We need to be girded with humility in the church life, putting on the apron of humility toward one another.
Humility saves us from all kinds of destruction and invites God’s grace; however, pride makes us a top fool (James 4:6; Psa. 138:6; Prov. 29:23).
We all are proud; pride is in our nature. Pride is the top and foremost attribute of our fallen being.
We grow up in a certain environment and with a particular background and upbringing, and we are proud of what we are and what we have learned and have become. Oh, Lord!
But when it comes to the Lord, our relationship with Him, and our service toward Him, we need to be saved from our pride.
Only grace can keep us from being proud, and only when we are humble can we receive God as grace.
The more we become humble, the more we get grace. Jehovah is high, and He regards the lowly and humble.
May we be willing to be humbled by God.
May we be willing to be made humble, lowly, under the mighty hand of God in His discipline and to throw our life with its care upon God, because He cares for us lovingly and faithfully (1 Pet. 5:5-7; cf. Psa. 55:22). Amen!
We need to be willing to be made humble by the Lord.
We are full of pride and don’t even realize it.
The Lord with His mighty hand is upon us, for He wants us to be humbled; we simply need to be willing to be made humble.
It is sad to see that someone is under the mighty hand of God to humble him, but he does not cooperate but rather, he vindicates himself, justifies himself, and fights back. Oh, Lord!
May we not shut the door of grace by resisting God’s mighty hand which humbles us!
Rather, may we have many transactions with the Lord as we experience the mighty hand of God so that we may receive grace and be humbled.
The apostle Paul had the mighty hand of God upon him, and in a very particular way, God gave him a thorn in the flesh.
The Lord seemed to be wary of Paul exalting himself exceedingly, so He let him have a thorn in his flesh from Satan (2 Cor. 12:7).
Paul exhorted the Lord three times that this thorn might depart from him, but the Lord’s only answer was, My grace is sufficient for you (v. 9).
The Lord did not remove the thorn but rather, gave him more grace, even gave him sufficient grace to bear the thorn and serve the Lord faithfully and humbly.
Pride leads to destruction, but humility invites God’s grace.
Humility always saves us from all kinds of destruction and invites God’s grace for us.
May we open our being to the Lord and have many conversations with Him, allowing Him to humble us and make us lowly, meek, and humbled so that we may receive the grace of God.
When we’re humble, the grace of God comes; when we are proud, grace cannot be our portion.
How much we need to pray and ask the Lord,
Lord Jesus, have mercy on us! Grant us your grace. Keep us open to You. Cause us to be humbled under Your mighty hand! Amen, Lord, give us Your grace! We do not want to be proud. We do not know ourselves, Lord, but You do; You see how proud we are and how much we resist Your mighty hand. We just open to You today! Have Your way to humble us and make us humble through the operation of Your mighty hand in our environment and Your grace within us. Oh Lord Jesus, we want to just enjoy Your sufficient grace. May we realize that pride leads to destruction but humility saves us from all kinds of destruction and invites God’s grace for us. Oh Lord, may we invite Your grace! May we be those who are humbled under the mighty hand of God so that we may enjoy God in Christ as grace to us! May we enjoy Your sufficient grace for us today in all our situations!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ricky Acosta in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 404-405, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Living a Christian Life and Church Life under the Government of God for the Economy of God (2024 Thanksgiving Blending Conference), week 5, Grace in Peter’s Epistles.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– As every man has received a gift, even so minister the same as to one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God, a portion from, Basic Lessons on Service, Chapter 11, by Witness Lee.
– The Ministry of the Spirit and of Righteousness (1) – From chapter two of The Ministers in the Lord’s Recovery – Genuine Ministers of the New Covenant, via, Shepherding Words.
– Ambassadors, stewards, captives of Christ in His triumphal procession, a portion from, Conclusion of the New Testament, The (Msgs. 099-113), Chapter 13, by Witness Lee.
– 9 Crucial Practices for Building Up a Vital Christian Life, via, Holding to Truth in Love.
– Life-study of Ephesians, Message 30: The Way to Grow in Life, via, LSM Youtube.
– My Sweet Experience of Growing up in the Church Life, via, Living to Him.
– Peter speaks concerning the grace of God in five aspects., via, Church in Regina.
– 1 Peter (Program #17) -Christian Life and Its Sufferings (4 & 5), via, Bible study radio.
– The Divine Trinity for the divine dispensing, a portion from, Messages to the Trainees in Fall 1990, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee.
– Living Water Rises by “Measuring”, via, New Jerusalem blog.
– The God of love and peace, a portion from, Life-Study of 2 Corinthians, Chapter 58.
– Our Spiritual Remedy: The Spirit as an All-Inclusive Dose, via, Bibles for America blog. - Hymns on this topic:
– It is this grace—Christ as our inward strength— / Which with His all-sufficiency doth fill; / It is this grace which in our spirit is, / There energizing, working out God’s will. / This grace, which is the living Christ Himself, / Is what we need and must experience; / Lord, may we know this grace and by it live, / Thyself increasingly as grace to sense. (Hymns #497 stanzas 4-5)
– Oh, let that grace inspire / My heart with strength divine; / May all my powers to Thee aspire, / And all my days be Thine. / All sufficient grace! / Never powerless! / It is Christ who lives in me, / In His exhaustlessness. (Hymns #312 stanza 6 and chorus)
– Lord, Thy love is the expression / Of Thy loving self divine, / Making life so full of meaning,vHarmonized with God’s design. / Grace of life, how all-sufficient, / Is my portion day by day; / I’m the object of Thy favor / And Thy sweetness taste alway. (Hymns #152 stanza 3)
Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” p. 405
The grace of life is our inheritance as believers in Christ, whether we are strong or weak.
The Triune God is our life and life supply to be grace to us, even the grace of life; we are heirs inheriting the grace of life and vessels containing this grace and even flowing out this grace.
Hallelujah, we have a varied grace according to our situation and environment, and we can minister this varied grace to one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.
Amen Lord for varied grace to each one to receive and enjoy today!
God’s grace grounds, perfects, strengthens, and establishes through our suffering.
We receive the riches of grace according to our situation.
Aaaaameeen! Amen!
It is by the grace of life, believing brothers can love and sympathize with their wives as the weaker vessels and fellow heirs.
The varied grace of God varies according to our situation and environment, this grace in its varieties is ministered by the saints as good stewards of the varied grace of God!
Amen. The Lord’s grace is sufficient for us. We all are put through many kinds of situations and sufferings, but there is no situation where we cannot receive the Lord as grace.
We must deny ourselves and our fallen nature, and turn to the Lord daily, so that we could be perfected by the Lord’s grace.
Praise the Lord for His varied grace, brother.
We are all able to minister our variety of grace to one another because grace varies according to our situation & environment.
However, we must beware the problem of pride and gird ourselves with humility.
If we are humble, grace comes; if we’re proud, grace goes away.
Pride hinders grace.
Our God perfects, establishes, strengthens & grounds us by grace through sufferings.
How wonderful grace is, brother.
If we are to experience and enjoy grace as our life and life supply we must humble ourselves.
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble – those who are saved from the pride of fallen human nature – to gird ourselves with humility so that we may minister to others the grace of God!
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Footnotes from, Holy Bible, Recovery Version
Amen we come forward with boldness to receive the abundance of grace!!!
Amen. Lord we need to enjoy You as the grace of life that we may minister varied grace!