More Grace Than You Can Handle

From C. John Miller's The Heart of a Servant Leader as seen on Jared's blog, The Gospel Driven Church (emphasis mine):

Let me urge upon you the importance of cultivating faith if you are to be able to walk in love and spiritual power. Without faith it is impossible to please God, but those who believe are given more grace than they can handle. Believing is to expect God to be with you and change you and to change others...When the work is dull and routine or people are slipping away, go forth with new boldness and preach Christ until you are filled with faith yourselves and God works faith in others.

Think of it this way. All the powers of hell and earth are ranged against the gospel and your ministry. They will not compromise. Therefore don't expect it from them. Don't expect the enemy to coddle you. He will continue to attack from every quarter. At night. On the streets. In your meetings. Wherever. This is a take-no-prisoners kind of war, and we must not compromise with the uglies and with evil in any form.

Therefore resist, fight with all your heart against evil in yourself and others, seek holiness through faith in the blood of Christ, and live boldly out of your union with Christ. You are in Him and He is in you. Don't doubt it. On that basis keep at it.

When things are going badly, or the simply the routines of life are dragging you down, preach Jesus until you are again filled with faith. It seems to be addressed to ministers, but I think it applies to all of us. If life sucks, focus intently on Jesus until your faith is revived.

Then again, if life is good, focus on Jesus too. It can't hurt. :-D

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3 Comments

Salguod,

really...?

> but those who believe are given more grace than they can handle.

Statements like that tie my stomach up in knots. Maybe it's a true statement, but I can assure Mr. Miller it usually won't feel like it. And this passage definitely is talking about "feeling like it."

Based on the full quote you've copied here, I would have no use for this guy's book. But the Lord gifts us all differently.

Lord bless,

Hey CP, good to hear from you. Hope things are well in your new town.

I'm not sure if I have a use for the guy's book either, but I like the quote. :-D

More than we can handle, well, maybe not literally but it feels like it. I think of it like this - I can't handle the amount of grace that I need, I think I need to pay a little first, then I can accept that amount of grace. God just gives us the grace we need, and I can't handle receiving that much.

"fight with all your heart against evil." I need to do that more.

I think satan will cuddle you sometimes. Say it's ok to do that. Isn't that slander funny. Not caring of someone dies. etc. Stuff I need to get a handle on.



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  • "fight with all your heart against evil." I need to do that more. I think satan will cuddle you sometimes. Say it's ok to do that. Isn't that slander funny. Not caring of someone dies. etc. Stuff I need to get a h...

  • Hey CP, good to hear from you. Hope things are well in your new town. I'm not sure if I have a use for the guy's book either, but I like the quote. :-D More than we can handle, well, maybe not literally but it feels l...

  • Salguod, really...? > but those who believe are given more grace than they can handle. Statements like that tie my stomach up in knots. Maybe it's a true statement, but I can assure Mr. Miller it usually won't feel l...

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