Grace is when we show favour to those who don’t deserve it. And that’s what God shows us. His love and favour are available to us, even though we make mistakes and don’t deserve it. While grace doesn’t give us a licence to live however we want, we can often be guilty of judging others for not living up to our standards. And that’s not how we should be living. Jesus said, ‘Don’t judge others, and God won’t judge you. Don’t be hard on others, and God won’t be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you’ (Luke 6:37 CEV). God doesn’t have a set of rules and regulations that we have to stick to in order to be loved, to have eternal life or to have a relationship with Him. Paul writes, ‘If a…relationship with God could come by rule-keeping…Christ died unnecessarily.’ But what do we do when it’s obvious that someone is getting off track, or sinning intentionally? How do we show them grace but also show them that they’re taking the wrong path? The Bible says: ‘If another believer is overcome by sin…humbly help that person back onto the right path…be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself’ (Galatians 6:1 NLT). We can help others without condemning or judging them. The Bible also tells us: ‘If anyone has caused grief…you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow’ (2 Corinthians 2:5-7 NIV). So we need to be forgiving, encouraging and showing others the same grace that we need ourselves.

What Now?

Has someone hurt you recently? Ask God to help you forgive them and show them grace.