Only by God's grace

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 NLT

When Jesus comes for the second time, He will be glorified in the life of believers. This is what Paul was looking forward to when he said this: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17). This wonderful future that awaits believers is what sustains them while in this world dealing with trials and difficulties. Therefore, “we never give up” (2 Corinthians 4:16). This is what Paul was praying about; “asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call” (2 Thessalonians 1:11a). Though we do not deserve the grace of God, yet because He loves us, we received salvation. Knowing that we are saved from sin and the resulting judgment, we should now live our lives worthy of His call. We should manifest the work of transformation that God is doing in our lives. “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” (Ephesians 4:2). This change in attitudes and lifestyle happen because of our faith in God. They cannot be manufactured for they are the result of God’s working in us. It is God that gives us the “power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (2 Thessalonians 1:11b). When our lives are bounded in God by faith, we “will produce much fruit. For apart from Him we can do nothing” (John 15:5). We display His glory and we “will be honored along with him.” It is only by the grace of God that our sufferings are turned into joy and our poverty results in eternal inheritance. All these, His working in us and the preparations He does within us when His glory will be revealed are beyond our understanding. We receive them in awe and with thanksgiving for only by His grace, we are able to live the life He gave us.

Blessings,