His Grace Is Sufficient for Us

Christmas is a time when we remember the birth of Jesus, our Savior.  When Jesus arrived on the scene, the Kingdom of God was ushered in.  With His death and resurrection, the power of sin and death was broken, and we obtained the privilege of living in victory.  However, there are some aspects of the Kingdom that are not yet finalized.  The enemy is still allowed to roam the earth and tempt believers.  Sin still exists in the world, along with sickness and disease.  We look forward to that day when the Lord will descend from Heaven with the trumpet sound, the dead in Christ rise first, and we who remain will be caught up together with the Lord in the air. 

Until that day, we live in a time theologians describe as the already/not yet.  The Kingdom of God has come “already”, in that Jesus has conquered sin, but “not yet”, in that sin and the effects of sin are present on the earth.  We live in that exciting time between the first and second coming of Christ.  It is in this tension and balance in which we must live.  We will bear the grief of losing loved ones, but we have the hope of seeing them again in eternity.

The tendency is to become unbalanced by focusing either too much on the “already” or on the “not yet.”  Those who focus on the “not yet” live in a constant state of defeat, believing that they will never overcome sin or get the victory.  This is not a healthy way to live.  On the other hand, those who over emphasize the “already,”  believe that  if we can muster up enough faith, we will never have to endure hard times.  This overly triumphal thinking can lead to disappointment when we encounter trials. 

The reality is that we will have to endure hard times on this earth.  As you approach this Christmas season, you may be facing various trials and challenges in your life.  This is not in any way an indication of your lack of faith.  Rather, as James tells us, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” (James 1:2).  God is able to use hard times in our lives as a means by which to shape and strengthen our faith.

As we face hard times, we can look to Emmanuel, God with Us.  We have His empowering presence in our lives, and we know that His grace is sufficient for us. His power is made perfect in our weakness.