For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8‭-‬9 (KJV).‬‬‬

REFLECT:
As human beings, we have this terrible habit of thinking we have to work very hard to get what we want. So, what do we do? We put the heat on ourselves, and allow the pressure to take its toll on us.

A lot of us hardly give ourselves any time to rest, there must be something we have to do to earn that money, that self-worth, self-esteem, acceptance, or confidence. We see this type of attitude in workplaces, the different associations we belong to, at church and sadly enough we bring this attitude into our relationships, especially our relationship with God.

At the end of the day, we find out that our efforts do not measure up to what we have been working so hard to achieve. So, what do we do next? We turn up the heat a notch further, the feeling of if I could work a little bit harder, prove myself much more I will be accepted, celebrated, loved better, or pay whatever dues we think we are owing.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with working, work is good, putting in the effort to do work is wonderful, and getting fulfillment from work is great. However, work without understanding the gift of the Grace of God tends to give rise to futility.

When we take the Grace of God out of our daily interactions, we end up always trying to prove ourselves to gain attention, approval, scores, or applauds. On the other hand, when we submit to the Grace of God by believing in God and His ability to take us through what He has called us to do we approach work with a lot of ease and rest knowing that the love of God cushions us through Grace to accomplish and succeed in this life.

Hence, we get to understand that the Grace of God provides for us all we need to achieve success in the work He has put into our hands and to do this work with ease, joy, and enjoyment. This is what we call sweatless achievement!

An acknowledgment of the gift of God’s Grace and submitting to this Grace by faith will help us bypass the insecurities and hardships that we unduly face in life.

Ebimobo W. Obasi

PLEASE PRAY ALONG:

Thank You for your Grace.

FATHER GOD, thank You for choosing to love me. I am overwhelmed that You give me the faith I need to believe in You. I don’t deserve this—but that doesn’t change Your mind. Thank You for showing me love even when I feel unlovable. Thank You for gifting me with grace. Now I know what it means to achieve life’s purpose without sweating and struggling senselessly. Today, show me how to love the people You put in front of me. Help me to be an example and encouragement to others of how Your Grace truly works. Please let Your grace shape the way I serve others. In JESUS MIGHTY NAME AMEN.