Growing in Grace and Love

In the past few years God has really been working on my heart to be more gracious and loving to everyone He chooses to have cross my path in life. Not that I’ve perfected these concepts, but by the help of the Holy Spirit they are on my mind to work harder at improving in each quality.
I know lately I’ve specifically been sending blogs on this idea of love in 1 Corinthians 13:7, but in the days ahead I want to back up a little bit and provide a few more thoughts that also lead up to what we’ve discussed in verse 7. In the meantime, take the passages below into consideration as we prepare ourselves for the studies to come. Also, provided below is a verse and article that really opened my eyes to becoming (spiritual growth / sanctification process) more gracious towards others. If each of us could make every effort to become more gracious/forgiving and loving (identifiers/characteristics of followers of Christ), then just think about what kind of impact we could have in our circles of influence…all for His Glory!!!
Enjoy,
Nate

Matthew 22:36-40 (NLT) 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”
John 13:34-35 (NIV) “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
 
John 1:16 (ESV) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
The following article is from gotquestions.org…
What is the meaning of “grace upon grace” in John 1:16?
“For from [Christ’s] fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16, ESV). The NASB translates the verse the same way. The NIV translates the verse “Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.”

Christ (the Word) has been the focus of John chapter 1. In verse 14 we read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The fact that Jesus was “full of grace and truth” is the key concept addressed in verses 16–17. Verse 15 is a parenthetical aside. To get a better understanding of the force of John’s argument, we can read verses 14 and 16–17 together, without verse 15:

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

Jesus is full of grace, and John says that, from that fullness, we (John, his original readers, and the rest of us who have trusted in Christ) have received grace and more grace. One hallmark of any interaction with Jesus is grace. Christians receive grace and then more grace—grace served on top of grace—grace and then, in place of that, more grace. The point is that Christ is full of grace, and those who know Him get showered with grace.

The Amplified Bible translates John 1:16 this way: “Out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift].” What’s abundantly clear is that, when we come to Christ, He dishes out grace in heaping, huge servings.

In John 1:17 Christ is contrasted with Moses and the law. Of course, the law and God’s dealings with Israel did involve grace and truth, but the emphasis was more on obedience and punishment. In the New Testament, law is often contrasted with grace. The law emphasized God’s divine standards and the inability of fallen mankind to meet them, while grace rescues fallen humanity from deserved punishment. The law pinpoints the problem, and grace fixes the problem.

Romans 5:20–21 says the same thing in a slightly different way: “The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” https://www.gotquestions.org/grace-upon-grace.html

Love as He loves us. And be gracious / forgiving to others as He’s that to us as well. Ask the Lord to bring to surface, scrape off, and purify what it is in us that He’s trying to reveal to others through us (Job 23:10; 1 Peter 1:7).
Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

​Songs:

• Grace on Top of Grace by Fellowship Creative
• They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love by Forest Home Hymns