The Need for Grace

 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others (Eph 2:1-3 NKJV).

The need for grace should be obvious with the reading of this passage. Without God’s intervention, we would continue walking according to the course of this world. This is true because it was our nature as children of wrath.

Let us praise God Who made us alive. Since we were dead in trespasses and sins, we had to be raised to new life in Christ. 

Therefore, it should be no great puzzle to us that our witness is often met with indifference. If you think about it, we're speaking to dead men. Do you remember the last funeral you attended? One of the most disconcerting things about a funeral is the absolute stillness of the deceased. The dead cannot respond.

However, unlike those who have passed on, the spiritually dead may still be made alive by God’s grace. So, don’t be discouraged by a lack of success when witnessing. Instead, measure success by your loving obedience. Remember, neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor (1Co 3:7b-8 NKJV).

If you find yourself discouraged, ask yourself this: “How many times did you hear the Gospel before you believed?” The whole idea of one planting and another watering speaks to a process that only bears fruit when God gives the increase. So, don’t be discouraged; keep sowing the seed.