July 27 - God’s Grace and Gift 하나님의 은혜와 은사

July 27 - God’s Grace and Gift

 

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” – Ephesians 4:7 

 

Ephesians 4: 4, 5, and 6 describe the unity Christians can experience in Christ. Every believer is saved by the same grace, through the same faith, given by the same Savior, who is both LORD and God of all. Here, Paul returns to the theme of grace, focusing on spiritual gifts. While our faith is unified under a single God, God brings each person exactly what they need, depending on who and where they are.In other words, God's grace is given out personally. He knows exactly what we need and how to meet that need.

 

This grace is given at varying levels as God sees fit "according to the measure of Christ's gift." Spiritual gifts involve a variety of abilities (Ephesians 4:11; Romans 12:4–6; 1 Corinthians 12:4–6), yet all of our gifts should work together in service to the "one God" (Ephesians 4:6).In Ephesians 3:8, Paul taught that "grace was given" to him to preach to the Gentiles. He was called an apostle, yet was not given every single one of the various gifts of grace God supplies.

 

He wasn't worried about the gifts he did not have; instead, Paul was focused on getting the most out of what God had given him. First, Peter 4:10 says, "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace." Paul taught salvation was by grace (Ephesians 2:8–9), we live by grace, and we operate according to our spiritual gifts by grace.

 

God gives grace and gifts to the people who believe in Him through Christ (Ephesians 4:7). ‘Grace’ in this verse means the gift of God’s grace, and ‘gift’ means the ability that is needed to work for God who has called us (Ephesians. 3:7). We can do God’s work with the grace and the gift received from Him, according to the grace given us. Jesus took the form of flesh even though he was God; he died, resurrected, and ascended to heaven to give us grace. 

 

“This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.’ What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens to fill the whole universe” (Ephesians 4:8-10). 

 

 “he ascended” means Jesus came to the earth, taking the form of a human body and a spirit. This is one way to express that Jesus came into the world humbly. “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man” (John 3:13). This verse of Jesus’ descending to the world means Jesus practiced his omnipresence, he obeyed God’s will, had both the form of a human body and spirit and descended to death to take our sins.

 

 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

 

Thus, Our LORD Jesus Christ ascended to heaven and gave us abundant grace and gifts as the King who rules the universe. Jesus gives grace to his church and grants gifts to us to do God’s work. The grace and the gifts have been appropriately given to us according to God’s will, not our desires. Therefore, when God gives these gifts to us, 

 

God expects a lot from us and lets us discover them and use them to bring glory and honor to God in the church. “Each should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10). 

 

 

Today’s Prayer: Praise God, who fills you with rich spiritual food (Isaiah 55:2). Thank God for not allowing you to go hungry for spiritual nourishment. Confess your craving for things that are not spiritually satisfying (Isaiah 55:2). Commit yourself to daily feeding on Jesus, the living bread (John 6:51). Ask God to instill in you a hunger for the Word of life.

Prayer Pointer: When a man is at his wit’s end, praying is not cowardly; it is the only way he can get in touch with Reality. – Oswald Chambers

Bible Reading: Psalm 50-52; Acts 27:1-25

 

---

 

7월27일 - 하나님의 은혜와 은사

 

“우리 각 사람에게 그리스도의 선물의 분량대로 은혜를 주셨나니” - 엡 4:7

 

바울은 에베소서 4장에서 그리스도 안에서 성도들의 경험적 연합의 중요성에 관해   설명 합니다(엡 4:4-6). 모든 그리스도인들은 동일한 믿음으로 우리의 주님과 구원자 되신 하나님을 통해서 받는 동일한 은혜와 구원을 받습니다. 바울은 영적인 은사에 중점을 두어 다시 은혜에 관해 말씀합니다. 우리의 믿음은 하나님 안에서 한 믿음으로 하나가 되었지만 하나님은 각자에 따라, 위치에 따라 우리 각자에게 필요한 것을 정확하게 공급하십니다.  

다시 말해, 각자에게 은혜를 베푸시는 하나님은 은혜 받은 우리 각자에게 필요한 것과 그 필요를 어떻게 주실 것인지 정확하게 알고 있습니다. 하나님은 은혜는 "그리스도의 선물의 분량대로" 적합하고 다양하게 주어집니다. 그리고, 영적 은사에는 다양한 능력이 있으나(엡 4:11; 롬 12:4–6; 고전 12:4-6) 모든 은사는 한 하나님(엡 4:6)을 섬기는데 사용됩니다. 

 

에베소서 3:8에서 바울은 이방인들에게 복음을 전하는 은혜가 자기에게 주어졌다고 말합니다. 그가 사도로 부름을 받았지만 다양한 은사를 모두 받은 것은 아닙니다. 그는 자신이 받지 않은 은사에 대해 염려하지 않고 오히려 받은 은사를 최대한 활용하는 데 집중했습니다. 베드로는 "각각 은사 받은대로 하나님의 여려 가지 은혜를 맡은 선한 청지기 같이 서로 봉사하라”(벧전 4:10)라고 말합니다. 바울은 우리가 은혜로 구원받고(엡 2:8-9), 은혜로  살아가며, 은혜로 영적인 은사에 따라 사역한다고 가르칩니다.   

 

하나님은 성도들에게 은혜와 은사를 주십니다(엡 4:7). 에베소서 4장 7절의 “은혜’는  하나님 의 은혜를 의미하고, 은사는 우리를 부르신 하나님을 위해 일하는데 필요한 능력을 의미합니다(엡3:7). 성도들은 하나님께서 주신 은혜와 은사에 따라 주의 일을 감당할 수 있습니다. 예수님께서 인간이 몸을 입고 이 세상에 오셔서 십자가에 죽으시고 부활 승천하신 것은 우리에게 은혜와 은사를 주시기 위한 것이었습니다. 

 

“그러므로 이르기를 그가 위로 올라 가실 때에 사로 잡힌 자를 사로 잡고 사람들에게 선물을 주셨다 하였도다 올라가셨다 하였은즉 땅 아랫 곳으로 내리셨던 것이 아니면 무엇이냐 내리셨던 그가 곧 모든 하늘 위에 오르신 자니 이는 만물을 충만케 하려 하심이니라”(엡 4:8-10).  

 

이 구절에서‘올라가셨다’는 말씀은 예수님께서 인간의 몸을 입고 성육신하셨다는 뜻으로 이 세상에 오신 것을 겸손하게 표현하는 말씀입니다. 예수님은 자신을 가리켜 “하늘에서 내려온 자 곧 인자 외에는 하늘에 올라간 자가 없느니라”(요 3:13)라고 말씀하고, 예수님께서 세상에 내려오심은 하나님은 무소부재하시고 하나님의 뜻에 순종하여 성육신 하시고 죄사함을 위해 십자가에 죽으셨다는 의미입니다.

 

 “하나님이 죄를 알지도 못하신 자로 우리를 대신하여 죄를 삼으신 것은 우리로 하여금 저의 안에서 하나님의 의가 되게 하려 하심이니라”(고후 5:21).

 

승천하신 예수 그리스도는 온 우주를 다스리는 왕으로서 지금도 풍성한 은혜와 은사를 성도들에게 주십니다. 예수님은 교회에 풍성한 은혜를 주시고, 성도들에게 하나님의 일을 할 수 있도록 풍성한 은사를 주십니다. 이 은혜와 은사는 하나님의 풍성한 은혜와 그의 기쁘신 뜻에 따라 주시는 것 입니다. 

 

모든 은사를 주실 때 우리에게 많은 것을 기대하시며 주시기 때문에 주신 은사를 발견하여 교회를 섬기며 하나님께 영광과 존귀를 드려야 합니다.“각각 은사를 받은 대로 하나님의 각양 은혜를 맡은 선한 청지기같이 서로 봉사하라”(벧전 4:10)

 

 

오늘의 기도: 당신을 영적인 양식으로 채우시는 하나님을 찬양하고(사 55:2), 영적으로 기아상태에 두지 않으시는 하나님께 감사하십시오. 영적으로 충족시키지 않은 것들을  갈망한 것에 대해 고백하고 (사 55:2), 산 떡이신 예수님을 매일 영의 양식으로 삼기로 결단하십시오. 하나님께서 생명의 말씀의 간절함이 생기도록 간구하십시오.  

기도 지침: 사람이 어찌 할바를 모들 때 기도하는 것은 비겁한 것이 아니라 살아계신 실존의 하나님을 만날 수 있는 유일한 방법이다. – 오스왈드 챔버스 

성경 읽기: 시편 50-52; 사도행전 27:1-25