Share Christ

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Romans 1:7) 
 
It wasn’t just to the Romans that Paul wrote these words. To other followers of Christ, he used this same phrase. Why? Because it was very powerful. It set things in order and leveled the playing field. He was saying, in essence, “If you want grace and peace, they only come from the Lord Himself.”  
 
Paul took no credit for that. He wasn’t bringing grace or peace, but he was blessing others with it because it flows from our Heavenly Father. 
 
Grace is “unmerited favor,” which actually means you received something you have not earned, like favor. The Scriptures tell us that peace is not the cessation of conflict on the outside, but initially a sense of being settled within. This, in turn, affects the outside behavior of a person. We long to experience both of these dramatic, stabilizing forces (grace and peace) in our lives. Remember, they are gifts from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
This biblical phrase has much power within it. This phrase is a word of greeting, but it’s also a word of blessing. When was the last time you imparted such a greeting to someone else? Common phrases which we use today like, “How are you doing?” “What’s happening?” or even “Good morning or good evening” just don’t have the zing that “grace and peace to you” carry. Add “from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” to it, and you really have something! It’s as if you are saying, “I’ve just been with them and they wanted me to pass along this special word of encouragement to you.”  
 
Whenever you spend time alone with the King of Kings, He has something not only for you, but for others, as well. Let it flow and don’t be afraid to sound too biblical! There is no better way to sound!