GRACE IS FOR THE UNDERDOG…AND THE LION

...there is no new thing under the sun. – Ecc 1:9

 “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. – 2Co 12:9

The principle of grace runs through all of the Bible narrative. Time after time, we see God deliberately lifting up the social outcast, the totally renegade, or the biologically unqualified to achieve great feats for Him.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were all non-firstborns in their respective families; but they were singled out for superlative inheritance; so was the younger of every pair of twins mentioned in scripture. 

This is usually so that it would be evident to all where the source of the strength came from. The Almighty always delights in lifting up “the poor out of the dust”, and “the beggar from the rubbish”, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory (1Sa 2:8).

This is the spirit of Grace: qualifying the unqualified. That’s why the Apostle Paul says he’d most gladly boast in his weaknesses, “that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2Co 12:9) “for when I am weak, then am I strong.” (2Co 12:10).

This is not saying we shouldn’t labour or improve on ourselves, but to make sure we always place our expectations on God’s grace and not on our efforts.

If you feel you’re a graduate, know that there’s a Masters degree holder out there who is still jobless. If you feel you’ve read a thousand books, know that there’re others who’ve read even more.

Take David, for example. He was not as ‘unqualified’ for the throne as we often put him. He was, after all, “a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a handsome person, and the LORD is with him”, (1Sa 16:18).

The difference between him and his firstborn elder brother Eliab, (whom the LORD explicitly rejected) was that he never looked on any of those virtues as a REASON for his promotion.

Beloved, is your current skillset looking unimpressive? Congratulations, that’s the kind of material that Grace likes to work with. Is your CV loaded enough to make a Doctor of Quantum Physics blush? Don’t place your confidence in it.

Ps 104:21 says, “The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God.”

Yes, they strut about in the jungle and ROAR as they’re endowed to… but ultimately, they expect the food to come from God, not the roaring.

Grace to you in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN