Grow In Grace

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.  (2 Peter 3:18) 
 
The character of God is grace; therefore, the character of His people should also be grace. When someone comes into your church and they don't talk like you, and they don't look like you, what is your response? Your response must be, “Welcome!” Everything that we do needs to ooze with the grace of God. You might say, “Aren’t you going to stand on the truth?” Of course I am, and you should, too! You don't have to give up the truth of God, or the reliability of Scripture to be full of grace. You are full of grace because you are standing on the Word of God; and you are aligning your life with the character of God. 
 
As you begin to align with God’s character by showing grace, you will learn more and more about the importance of being gracious to others.  
 
We are told in 2 Peter 3:18 to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Grow in knowledge.” This means understanding that we don't know it all. For many of us, that is why we read books and watch videos. We study God’s Word because we understand that we don't know it all. Did you realize that grace is part of the experience of growing? Many of us do not have much grace. God wants us to be full of grace and He wants us to grow in grace.  
 
Where do you learn grace? You grow in grace by going through hard knocks, brokenness, sorrow, shattered relationships, and shattered dreams. When things aren't working out in your relationships and your life, you look for answers. When your profession is not heading in the direction you anticipated, you realize that the only constant you have is God Himself. Once you learn these lessons, you will more easily empathize with people who are learning them, too. You will be able to extend the same grace to them that the Lord extended to you, when you needed it most.