GodReflection: Breathing Grace

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Acts 10:38

If I were asked to describe the entirety of Jesus’ mission from creation, to include his days as a man on this earth, and on through eternity, I would select the descriptor to breathe grace.

Jesus breathed grace upon ever person who crossed his path. Grace characterized each encounter. To enter the shadow cast by Jesus was to enter into the cool shade of the grace of God.

To be with Jesus was to feel his breath of grace create shelter from deterioration and destruction spread by Satan. Sins were forgiven. Sickness was healed. Joy was returned. Hope was restored.

Without the least tinge of discrimination, the breath of grace refreshed the disenfranchise. On the very day he called the despicable tax guys Matthew and Zacchaeus he is found in their houses gracing them and their friends.

Because of the breath of grace from the Son, the sun must have felt a little brighter to Jesus’ recipients.

In short, Jesus went about breathing God’s grace into every situation by doing good to all.

What about me? Can I learn to breathe grace?

In my initial encounter with Jesus the emphasis was to be good and to do good because Jesus said so.

Obviously, I wasn’t very good at that.

Although I will say my congregation had a neat system in place where periodically I could “go forward” to the front pew to receive forgiveness and a clean tablet. That act left me ready to try once more to be good.

In due time I discover Jesus’ breath of grace.

What changed wasn’t the desire to be good but rather my motivation. My desire for goodness became driven by gratitude.

It was no longer because Jesus and the teachings of the Letters stressed obedience. Rather, it was because Jesus took upon himself every sin I have ever committed plus the sins that sneak up on me each day.

I now wanted to be good because he cleansed me from each and every one of my sins through the events of his death, burial, and resurrection.

I find his breath of grace far more effective than the front row pew of my church.

With all of the above as background, how can I breathe grace in my daily walk?

I see the key to be found with Luke’s record where he tells the story of the apostle Peter when he shared with Cornelius and his non-Jewish house guest the call of Jesus. He described Jesus’ earth walk in the following manner:

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

It seems to me that Peter’s sermon to Cornelius’ family is no less than the picture of Jesus breathing grace.

Out of gratitude for Jesus’ grace gift to me, wouldn’t the purpose of going around doing good be the most obvious path I could take as one of his disciples?

Since he breathed grace upon me shouldn’t my natural response be to live in the manner of the Messiah by doing good and demonstrating the healing of Jesus to all who cross my path because God and His spirit reside with me?

Wouldn’t that be a way to breathe grace?

Stay tuned.

Dr. Gary J. Sorrells

A GodReflection on How Can I Learn to Breathe Grace?
Gary@Godreflection.org 
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