If we do not understand God’s grace, we do not understand the gospel. Grace is the core of the gospel!  Chris Brannon continues in our 2 Timothy series in 2 Timothy 2.  We are to be strengthened by grace, but how?  How does God strengthen us by grace?  He justifies us before a holy God: to be strong in grace, we must stand firm against the enemy’s relentless attempt to pollute God’s grace with human merit.  God’s grace fortifies us in our battle against sin: Chris talks about “dependent responsibility”.  God’s grace enables and empowers us to serve Him and His kingdom: Our source of strength to do the work of God doesn’t come from ourselves, but rather constant, dependent, trust and reliance upon His abundant, gracious provision.  God’s grace sustains us in our trials: To be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, you must be weak in yourself, but strong in His sufficiency.

Strength for the journey in this life is not found in ourselves, but in the grace God supplies.  It is God’s grace that strengthens us to carry on God’s work, especially when we just feel like giving up.  The resource for our strength will never come from ourselves.  We must always remember it is God’s divine grace!