How to Receive God’s Grace and Mercy
Whether you’ve been a Christian for a long time, or you’re new to this whole Jesus thing—learning how to receive God’s grace and mercy will radically change your life. Grace and mercy are the essence of God’s love. When you come to God and receive His grace and mercy in your needs, you will be restored emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Hebrews 4:16 gives us a great picture of mercy and grace, when it says,
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.”
So how do you go about receiving those things? Let’s dive deeper into grace and mercy, what they are and how to receive them from God.
- What is mercy?
- What is grace?
- Know Your Limits
- Go to the Advocate
- Be Transparent with Your Community
- Find God’s Grace and Mercy at Restore Houston
What is Mercy?
Believe it or not, mercy and grace are two different things. However, they are both a side of the same coin: love.
“The Lord is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Psalm 145:8-9)
The Greek word used for mercy is most often “eleos” which means pity or compassion. The act of showing mercy means withholding deserved punishment for wrongdoing. In His mercy, God did not give us the punishment we deserved for our sin: death. Instead, He sent His Son, Jesus. This is mercy on display, and because of Jesus’ death we can receive forgiveness for our sin instead of punishment.
What is Grace?
The Greek word for grace is “charis” which means favor. Through His grace and favor we receive all that Christ has paid for on the cross: healing, restoration, deliverance, sanctification, and righteousness to name a few.
Anyone who tries to gain righteousness or salvation through their own means is running circles on a hamster wheel. Grace is the power through which we are saved, and through which we are restored over and over again. We cannot attain righteousness on our own or by our own works—but only through God’s grace as a gift.
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Know Your Limits
Before we can truly receive God’s grace and mercy, we have to admit our limits. Many of us are not good at accepting our limits, and we have an over-exaggerated view of ourselves. Puffed up in pride, we isolate ourselves from others and compete with them to feel better about ourselves.
On the other hand, some of us have such a low view of ourselves that we never feel good enough. Through self-hatred we shame ourselves and punish ourselves every time we come face to face with our limitations. Neither of these methods are from God, but used as tactics from the enemy to keep us from God.
You are not enough, and that is okay. Knowing our limits means we can come to God in our needs and allow Him to fill every void. There is joy and freedom in knowing that you are limited, because that means the limitless God can step in.
Go to the Advocate
One beautiful way that God’s grace and mercy is displayed is through being our Advocate. An advocate is a person who defends a cause.
Imagine you’ve broken the law and you’re in a courtroom as the court decides if you’re guilty and should receive punishment or not. As you sit in that seat, you see God as the Judge, and Satan, also called The Accuser of the Brethren, as the Prosecutor. But Jesus is sitting in the seat as the Defending Attorney. When God the Judge sees Jesus and the price He already paid, and the blood that speaks a better word than The Accuser, he judges you as not guilty.
When we sin, even in our lowest, dirtiest moments, God is not our accuser or condemner. He is our Advocate, giving us confidence and courage to keep walking forward.
Be Transparent with Your Community
Jesus is near to the broken hearted, and it’s in the middle of the mess where His presence can be found. Not only is He present, but He is working to heal those broken places with His love as we receive God’s mercy and grace. This is not something to be ashamed of, but to celebrate!
While we are working with God to overcome temptation by His Spirit and through His Word, we can share the testimony of our victories with others. When we share about our weaknesses, we are also sharing the presence of God that is in the midst of those things.
Find God’s Grace and Mercy at Restore Houston
We believe that through grace Jesus is restoring all things. And that includes you. That is why we are named Restore! Regardless of the sin that holds you or the shame that diminishes you, Jesus has come to restore every part of you.
Grace works most beautifully when we are connected and loved. For that reason, our goal every week is to experience the restorative presence of God and authentic, loving connection with one another. When this happens, we believe redemption can happen.
Bring your questions, doubts—all of YOU. We’re here to listen and walk with you along the journey. There’s room for you here.
