His Grace is Enough

June 1, 2016

Worship: Your Grace is Enough by Matt Maher

Great is your faithfulness oh God
You wrestle with the sinner's heart
You lead us by still waters into mercy
And nothing can keep us apart

So remember your people
Remember your children
Remember your promise, oh God

Your grace is enough.
Your grace is enough.
Your grace is enough.
Your grace is enough for me.

Great is your love and justice God.
You use the weak to lead the strong.
You lead us in the song of your salvation

And all your people sing along.

So remember your people
Remember your children
Remember your promise, oh God

Your Grace is enough
Heaven reaching down to us
Your Grace is enough for me

God, I see your grace is enough
I'm covered in your love
Your grace is enough for me

For me

Video: https://youtu.be/LISbMRp0Y64?list=RDLISbMRp0Y64

Witness:

This will be another extended entry. The last one took me a week to finish. I spend a lot of time feeding and caring for three of my 13 grandchildren. Their mother works a lot of nights, so I have them till I go to work. Honestly, my nerves are shot sometimes before I go to work because they are often very hyper and like most siblings, tend to bother each other. I spend a lot of time being a referee.  Add to that the burden of my own children’s needs and that of my friends. Thankfully, we have a burden bearer who sympathizes with us. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to:

             Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. NIV

However, that verse is sandwiched between two other exhortations. The first exhorts us to come with humility. Pride keeps us from casting our cares on Him because we think we can handle it. The exhortation that follows this verse is actually twofold. It says:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8a NIV

I need to pause here and discuss the word self-controlled. This can be misleading. After all, are we not to do things in the strength and control of the Lord? Other versions use the word “sober” (“sober-minded” ESV, “sober spirit” NASU).  When we look at the meaning of this word we can see why there is a difference in the way it is translated in various versions.

Let us look at some reference works on the meaning of this word.

Thayer’s:

 
T:3525 nh/fw; … to be sober; in the N. T. everywhere tropically, to be calm and collected in spirit; to be temperate, dispassionate, circumspect: 1 Thess 5:6,8; 2 Tim 4:5; 1 Peter 1:13; 5:8;
(from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, PC Study Bible formatted Electronic Database. Copyright © 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Kittle’s 1 Vol. Dictionary:

    

n¢¡phœ.1. Sobriety in a Literal Sense. The thought behind ‎n¢¡phœ ‎is a negative one, i.e., the opposite of intoxication. This is first meant literally either in the strict sense of complete abstemiousness or the relative sense of temperance.2. Sobriety in the Figurative Sense.
a. When the word is used figuratively the subject is a person or the human ‎logismós ‎and what is meant is the opposite of every kind of fuzziness. Sober judgment is highly valued in both individual and public life.(from Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, abridged edition, Copyright © 1985 by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)

Louw and Nida

    

30.25 NT:3525† ‎nh/fw‎: (a figurative extension of meaning of ‎nh/fw ‎'to be sober, to not be drunk,' probably not occurring in the NT; see 88.86) to be in control of one's thought processes and thus not be in danger of irrational thinking - 'to be sober-minded, to be well composed in mind.' ‎a)lla\ grhgorw=men kai\ nh/fwmen ‎'but we should be awake and sober-minded' 1 Thess 5:6. It is also possible to understand ‎nh/fw ‎in 1 Thess 5:6 as meaning 'self-control,' as a characteristic of moral behavior (see 88.86).
 88.86 NT:3525† ‎nh/fw‎:  to behave with restraint and moderation, thus not permitting excess - 'to be self-controlled, to be restrained, to be moderate in one's behavior, to be sober.' ‎su\ de\ nh=fe e)n pa=sin ‎'you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances' 2 Tim 4:5; ‎oi( mequsko/menoi nukto\$ mequ/ousin‎· ‎h(mei=$ de\ h(me/ra$ o&nte$ nh/fwmen ‎'those who are drunk get drunk in the night; we belong to the day and we should be sober' 1 Thess 5:7-8. It is possible that in 1 Thess 5:8 ‎nh/fw ‎means lack of drunkenness, but most scholars interpret the use of ‎nh/fw ‎in the NT as applying to a broader range of soberness or sobriety, namely, restraint and moderation which avoids excess in passion, rashness, or confusion. For another interpretation of ‎nh/fw ‎in 1 Thess 5:8, as well as in 1 Thess 5:6, see 30.25.(from Greek-English Lexicon Based on Semantic Domain. Copyright © 1988 United Bible Societies, New York. Used by permission.)

After looking at the various meanings this word has, I cannot help but believe there is truth to be found in both ways the word is translated and that both fit the context of this passage. Sobriety speaks of the inward spiritual, mental aspect and self-control the outward manifestation of this inner aspect. Combined with the word “aware” these become essential words of instruction and exhortation because as the trials persist, we often cave in and cease from casting our burdens. Panic sets in; and the devil devours us. In his belly, the acid of anxiety eats away at us.

The Apostle Peter follows up these exhortations with this command,

But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 1 Peter 5:9-10 NASU

Therefore, in order to keep circumstances, anxiety, and the devil from gaining a foothold in our lives, we are exhorted to:

·        cast…on the Lord our anxieties

·        be self-controlled, sober-minded, and alert

·        resist the devil

·        be firm in our faith

And lest we cave in because we think such actions are impossible or swell up in pride because we think we are so strong, we must keep in mind these important truths found in scripture to keep us from fear or of fawning over ourselves, both of which lead to failure.

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Phil 2:12-13 NIV

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them — yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Cor 15:10 NIV

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 NIV

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Phil 4:13 NIV

Surely, His grace is enough!

WORD: It is 6/7/16, and I just finished this portion of my journal entry Yesterday. Therefore, I will close this one out and begin afresh.