The Benefits of Grace: Mutual Benefactors by Deacon Phil Stevenson

Mutual Benefactors

 Most people when they apply for a job think about the benefits they'll receive first. Whether it's a 401(k), health & dental, paid vacations, etc. Nevertheless, benefits entice us to work. Yet, when it comes to our Heavenly Father (the boss of all bosses) we get lax in our callings or downright quit our post. Truth be told, no benefits can outmatch or outperform the benefits we receive from God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. American Express once had the slogan "never leave home without it", Grace resides in that same realm. It's like oxygen. We may not be able to see it but it's real. In fact, I retract that statement. You can see grace. It is tangible, alive, and vibrant! 

 God’s grace becomes visible when we, His children, turn from our wicked ways and decide that we will always serve the Lord. By taking this stance, God’s love is passed through us, to people that may never receive him. Like Pastor Lula stated, “We may be the only Jesus some people ever see”. By giving out God's grace, amid rightly dividing the word of truth, we hold on to a revelation given to Paul, we either plant a seed, or water a seed that’s already been planted. Regardless, we trust in God for the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6-8)

 What is a mutual benefactor in the spiritual sense? People linked to God, who do good for another without expecting any personal gain in return.  Christ started the chain, and we must strive not to be a weak link in it. We must stand and stay on guard, so we do not abuse grace. That we don't neglect it, treating it like a toddler treats an old forgotten toy. It’s a necessity that we wake up every morning thankful for it. It’s a life-changing force. It causes our inner person to desire to be more like Christ and less like ourselves. 

 God’s mercy, kindness, favor, and much more, are baked into his grace. It’s the starting point. He saved us because yes, He is sovereign, but He is also grace. The walking, talking, resurrected, definition itself. The Will of the Father, The Work of Jesus Christ, and The Witness of the Holy Ghost are benefits of grace. With grace, you get triple the power. A big three that no one can defeat. Because where sin abounds, grace abounds much more (Romans 5:20). Therefore, the enemy was in the garden but so was God, walking in the cool of it. Although we don’t know for sure what he was telling Adam…I’m sure he warned him of the enemy’s presence

 When we have grace (the embodiment of the Trinity) we have access to insider information. Subsequently, grace should make us want to get closer to God. The closer we are, meaning the more we remain in Him, He will remain in us. Thus, when we are obedient, we flip the switch of our spiritual ears to hear from the Holy Spirit. Allowing us to mature and our discernment levels to deepen.

 From this point forward we should ask ourselves, what does God benefit from us? What can we offer to the Kingdom? The answer for that resides in Matthew 25:35-40. When we take care of the “least” of them, we turn around and represent God correctly here on earth.  

 How can we display God authentically in a fabricated world? 

• 2 Corinthians 8:7 But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.
• The same way we strive to improve our physical conditions, our intellect, and our finances, we should strive even more to be deliverers of God’s grace. 

•  Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace…
• Tell the world. By praising him. Our praise should be contagious. Like cheap cologne people should smell it on us. 
• But like a sweet, rare fragrance they should be asking where they can get some. 

• Colossians 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
• We should always leave people with an impartation of God. 
• Salt makes you thirsty, leading one to drink. Grace is the salt that makes people want to drink from the Living Water.