Grace that Grants Courage to Remain as the Disciples

Grace that Grants Courage to Remain as the Disciples

Luke 22: 31-33

V. 32. “But I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Rely on Grace that perfects our inadequacies

Mission is in spite of us and not because of us. In spite of our frailties and failures God make use of us to achieve God’s purposes. It is soothing to know that God cares for the ones who have failed and even for those who will meet with failures in future in their attempts to deliver the tasks entrusted by God. In trapeze in circus, we see the artists dive over the lofty swings fearlessly. It is nothing but the widely stretched out protective nets kept underneath gives the trapeze artistes the confidence to deliver dangerous acts and entertain the crowd. A disciple succeeds as he/she learns to trust and rely more and more on the grace of God-the grace that cures and perfects our brokenness and inadequacies.      

Know that Christ Intercedes for us

It is heartening to know that Christ Jesus continually intercedes for those who are called to be his disciples. Simon Peter the greatest among the disciples is reminded that Satan would have sifted him away easily like wheat, but Jesus’ intercession sustains the disciples including the like of Peter in their tasks. Peter, a seemingly coward man with a lot of anxieties is turned out

to be a strong disciple, who shares in Jesus’ sufferings and death to fulfill God’s will on earth. In John 17: 15 Jesus prays to Abba God that, “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.” The knowledge of Jesus’ intercession will definitely strengthen us to embody the deep commitment of a true disciple.

Prayer

Gracious God, Help us to always meditate on your abounding grace that sustain us in our discipleship practices. Amen