This podcast covers Lesson 9 of the Graceful Living Bible Study.
Graceful Living Is Dependent Living
The call to being God-dependent
- God wants for us women to be God-dependent women. Not "independent except for when we need Him." But, we are to be God-dependent all the time. The same is true of men. But, being God-dependent all the time is so radically different from what our western culture has taught us most of our lives. From the time we are girls, we have been told that women should not depend on anyone or anything for our success.
- Are we as Christian women supposed to stay like babies not doing anything for ourselves? No! That’s not what it means. We are supposed to grow and mature in our thinking and behavior.
- Are we as Christian women supposed to just lie back and let anything happen to us? No! That’s not what it means. The New Testament teaches Christians to be wise and proactive in our dealings with everyone—whether in the church or outside of it—for our own good as well as for the good of others.
- Are we not supposed to use our skills, talents, advantages, and opportunities to be the best women we can be? No! That’s not what it means. God wants us to give back to Him all those skills, talents, advantages, and opportunities He has given to us and use them for His glory.
Dependent living is the key to becoming a God-dependent woman
Human parents raise their children to be less dependent on them and more independent of them. But, God raises His children to be less independent and more dependent on Him.
- The key to being a God-dependent woman is dependent living. Whatever He brings into our lives that makes us more dependent upon Him is good for us.
- Dependent living is not weakness. It is being stronger and having more influence, success, and satisfaction than you could ever have through your own efforts.
- As you submit to Him, our God uses our dependence on Him to transform us into the likeness of Christ.
Being transformed into the likeness of Christ through dependent obedience
There are two aspects of being transformed to the likeness of Christ. God’s part and our part.
- God’s part involves mystery about how He does it. The Scriptures teach that He works according to His will and purpose for your life.
- Our part involves choices. 1) One choice is renewing your mind (Romans 12:2) through studying God’s Words in the Bible to see how to approach life His way. The Holy Spirit uses the Word to transform you. 2) Another choice on your part is having a desire for God’s work in you to give you the character of Christ. When you long for His work in your life, you will want to submit to what He is doing and ask for Him to change you. 3) A third choice is to commit to doing life God’s way. That’s part of the transformation process. Jesus modeled for us how to approach life God’s way and live in dependence upon Him in the process. Living in dependence means you choose to trust Him in prayer.
- God will complete His part—both during your lifetime as you yield to His work in your life and after your life on earth ends as you begin your life in heaven.
God’s grace is sufficient for dependent living.
When Christ said to Paul that His grace was sufficient, He used a word meaning “to be possessed of unfailing strength, to be enough.” God’s grace is His unmerited favor toward humans. It is a gift from God that we don’t deserve and can never earn.
- Salvation by faith alone through Christ alone is a gift of God’s grace.
- The Holy Spirit’s presence in every believer as a deposit guaranteeing our future inheritance of a perfected body and soul is a gift of God’s grace.
- Being transformed into the likeness of Christ during this earthly life of ours is a gift of God’s grace.
- All those wonderful treasures that come to us as new creations in Christ are gifts of God’s grace. They are enough to make us into whatever God purposes for us to be.
- Every healing. Every answer to prayer. Every time we get guidance about what to do and where to go. Those are gifts of God’s grace. They are sufficient to get us through this life and have joy in the process.
- The power of Christ works in us to help us in our weakness so that we can say with Paul, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” That’s a gift of God’s grace, sufficient to strengthen us and display the glory of Christ in our lives so that others are drawn to Him as they see it.
- When you admit that you are weak, you desire Christ’s power to rest on you. That means to take possession of you. You desire for His power to act on your behalf. It’s a heart change when you desire more of Him and less of yourself. The results will be the best for you and for those influenced by you for Christ’s sake.
Jesus Christ gave His life for you, so He could give His life to you, so He could live His life through you. (Major Ian Thomas, The Saving Life of Christ)
- Dependent living is hard. It is being glad about weaknesses so Christ’s power shines in you instead of your own. It is trusting Him for strength all the time, not just when you can’t do something on your own. It is loving God so much that you live your life in dependence upon Him which leads to obedience to Him. Graceful living is dependent living.
Let Jesus satisfy your heart with His grace so that your life overflows with His grace every day. You will experience a life of freedom and joy!
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