+DEV+ In the Grip of Grace

Date: May 20, 2013 8:19 PM
Topic: +DEV+  In the Grip of Grace

In the Grip of Grace

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Phil. 3:12)
Scripture Focus: Philippians 3:12

Possession is in the "eye of the holder". When I hold hands with my wife, am I holding her hand or is she holding mine? The answer is both! Lord willing, she would be happily holding fast to my hand as I was happily holding fast to hers.

The Apostle Paul knows that He is in the grip of God's sovereign grace, that nothing can pluck him from his Father's hand, and that God has already given him "everything he needs for life and godliness." (2 Pe. 1:3) The strong arm of the Lord has indeed reached down to pluck another brand from the fire. "Christ Jesus has... laid hold of me!"

Still, this does not mean that Paul doesn't strive, strain and press on to more fully experience the grace he has received. He knows he is a work in progress and is squeezing back, not to somehow make up for the Lord's slack hand, but to more fully experience what the Lord is holding him for! We can know, right along with Paul, the profound hold that Jesus has on our lives, a grip so tight that He will never let us go.

Insight: Grace squeezes us so that we might squeeze back!




Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship and Bible study groups.