Grace
For many years the definition of “grace” seemed obscure to me. Many in the Church believe it is God’s unmerited favor. This definition did not satisfy me because of this scripture:
Colossians 1:12Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
12 Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the [a]portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.
Grace would not be “unmerited” because God MADE us deserving through our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
I decided to look up the word grace in the Greek. The definition is “the divine influence on the heart and its reflection in…life”. It’s the pressure that God puts on our hearts (spirits and souls=mind, will, and emotions) and how we view life. The rest of the meaning of grace is graciousness, acceptance, benefit, favor, gift, liberality (definition-generosity), pleasure, and thanks. I believe that the pressure God exerts on us when we give Him permission is His graciousness, favor, generosity toward us; His acceptance of us,; showing us how He will benefit us and gift us; and His pleasure and thankfulness for us. Knowing that all this is packaged in the word grace becomes a divine influence on our spirits and our mind, will, and emotions that gives us the power to face anything in life with confidence because our God is for us and not against us.
Romans 8:31Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
31 What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]
Colossians 3:23-24Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
23 Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men,
24 Knowing [with all certainty] that it is from the Lord [and not from men] that you will receive the inheritance which is your [real] reward. [The One Whom] you are actually serving [is] the Lord Christ (the Messiah).