A Life Of Holiness; Hope In Grace!

June 19, 2025

A Life Of Holiness; Hope In Grace!

I watched a movie a couple of months ago titled, “Mary.”  It is a story about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  The movie takes us on a journey from Mary’s birth up to the point just before Mary and Joseph flee with the baby Jesus to Egypt. 

Of course, Mary lives in the real world; there is poverty, there is occupation by a foreign government, and there is corruption by the King (Herod) of Judea.  The portrayal of King Herod by actor Anthony Hopkins is excellent. 

Herod is preoccupied with threats to his power, threats to his legacy, and threats to his things.  He is willing to kill his wife, his children, or anyone (including new born babies in Bethlehem!) when he believes they are a threat to him.

In sharp contrast to Mary who relies upon God’s grace and obeys God’s Word, Herod relies upon his beautiful things and obeys the temptation for more power. 

The Apostle Luke tells us about the angel’s promise that Mary will become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God.  After telling Mary that nothing is impossible for God, Mary responds with a statement of faith in the Lord God.  In Luke 1:38 Mary says; “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”  Mary trusts that God’s grace will be sufficient and she will trust in God’s Word. 

Mary shows us that God’s grace is what sustains life.  Mary lives a life of faith in the Lord God because she knows God’s grace is amazing, God’s grace is a gift, and God’s grace is sufficient for life. 

When the Apostle Paul prayed the Lord God would take away his chronic pain, Paul remembers the Lord God’s answer.  In II Corinthians 12:9 Paul says the Lord told him; “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

In the midst of unrelenting pain, Paul’s hope was that God’s grace was sufficient. 

In the midst of continual persecution, Paul’s hope was that God’s grace was sufficient.

In the midst of questioning where to go next, Paul’s hope was that God’s grace was sufficient. 

In the midst of helping struggling churches, Paul’s hope was that God’s grace was sufficient. 

In the midst of arguments with other spiritual leaders, Paul’s hope was that God’s grace was sufficient. 

In the midst of the oppression of imprisonment, Paul’s hope was that God’s grace was sufficient. 

The Apostle Peter had also learned the value of relying upon God’s grace.  In I Peter 1:13-16 the Apostle Peter writes; “Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.  Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance.  Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

When we are striving to live a life of holiness after the example of Jesus, there will be moments, even seasons, when we are disappointed or discouraged as well as disconnected or distraught.  Peter tells us to “…set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you…”

Living a life of holiness is not always easy.  There are problems and challenges, there are difficult people and difficult circumstances, and there is our own brokenness and our own sin.  Our only hope to live a life of holiness is the grace that Jesus gives us.

Like Mary, we learn that God’s grace is amazing, God’s grace is a gift, and God’s grace is sufficient for life.  We can prepare our minds to take the next step in living a life of holiness and we can nurture the disciplines necessary to live a life of holiness.  But until we place all our hope on the grace Jesus gives us, we will not have much success in living the life of holiness for which our soul so longs.

Grace is God’s free gift of love that we know and receive in Jesus.  Until we begin (or start again) to grow our relationship with Jesus, we will not often experience the grace that is sufficient for our life and makes possible living a life of holiness.

Take some time this week to reflect upon the following questions.

+Have I ever surrendered my life to Jesus as my Savior and my Lord?  In other words, have I asked Jesus to forgive all my sin, to fill every corner of my heart and life with His presence, and surrendered to His rule and reign in my life?

+Am I living in a healthy relationship with Jesus right now?  Have I drifted away from Jesus?  Has my passion for Jesus waned?  Has a bit of darkness filled a secret place in my heart with sin? 

+Am I placing all my hope in the grace of God?  Or, am I placing some of my hope or security or joy in something or someone else?

+What needs to change in me, so my hope in God’s grace can be renewed and my confidence that God’s grace is always sufficient can be restored?

These are not easy questions.  And yet, as we pray through each question with an open heart and mind, the Holy Spirit will engage us, grow us, and fill us with the amazing grace and hope that comes through faith in Jesus.  When God fills us with His grace and hope, our hearts will take delight in the Lord.     

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug