“All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.”
Have you ever avoided or given up on a project or task because it looked so daunting and difficult? It happens all the time, doesn’t it? I heard a true story on CarTalk where a man could not for the life of him figure out how to get his engine running smoothly. He tried everything until he finally he gave up and brought his car in to his mechanic. The mechanic asked him what it was worth to him to fix it, to which the car owner replied something like, “I’ll give you $100 if you can fix it quickly.” The mechanic took his offer and went back to the car. In a matter of a few minutes (or less), the car was fixed. The car owner was shocked at the speed and ease with which the fix was made, so much so that he was unwilling to pay the agreed upon $100 fee. Should the car owner have paid the $100 for a few minutes of work? Should the mechanic have charged the owner a fee for such an easy fix? That’s for you to think about, but in the end, that mechanic knew how to fix the car. He possessed the right knowledge. He understood the problem, and he knew how to fix it.
A lack of understanding or knowledge can make a small problem look insurmountable. But when one possesses the right knowledge, he can accomplish so much more in life. Knowledge and understanding has a way of bearing fruit.
Such is the case with the gospel of God’s grace. In our verse today, a true understanding of “God’s grace in all its truth” was “bearing fruit and growing all over the world”. Understanding God’s grace is foundational to bearing fruit because it recognizes a complete dependence on God and a true understanding of our weakness and inability to do anything apart from Him. It is not until we truly understand God’s grace in our lives that we will begin to bear fruit, the fruit of God, the fruit of the Spirit, the fruit of the kingdom.
I am impressed by the emergence of an emphasis on helping a world entrenched in poverty. Perhaps never before in history have resources been so readily available to end this tragedy. That said, we must remember that apart from God, all attempts to help are done in our own strength. In fact, the needs are so great that it would be impossible to conquer the needs of the world without the strength of God. Hence, there must be an understanding of God’s grace in our own lives; there must be a change from within if there is to be lasting change on the outside. It is my personal belief that when we understand the grace of God, the desire to meet needs will become more and more natural as we grow in our understanding of it. It is far too easy to “go fix it” without a proper perspective on God’s grace.
So today, take some time to dwell on God’s grace in your life. Consider what He has done for you. Consider the privilege it is to be His child. I think in the end, an understanding of God’s grace is priceless because it will bear much fruit. (So I guess that guy should have paid the $100?)