GRACE,
SUFFICIENCY OF

SOME of us have service policies in our home that we haven’t looked at for years. We have no clue as to what our benefits are. I was thumbing through the service contract for my car. I’d never looked at it, and one day I was sitting in my car waiting and decided to flip through it.

I discovered some benefits that I never knew I had simply because I had the vehicle. I had been paying for AAA but my service contract told me that because I own the car, the manufacturer would take care of any problems I had. I had been paying to get my tires rotated. The service contract told me that for the type of tires I have on the car, no rotation is needed. So I’d been fooling with stuff that’s already been taken care of. I didn’t understand the benefits that accrued to me by virtue of my having this vehicle.

We must realize that the relationship we have with the Lord Jesus Christ has benefits. The covenant brought about by salvation has provisions that we should be aware of.431

[Blessing; Grace, Provision of; Jesus, Relationship with; Salvation, Provision of]

2 Peter 1:3

THE STORY is told of a man who went on a voyage. He had been longing for so long to go on this voyage. It was a cruise and it cost him all he had. He packed himself peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because he knew he wouldn’t be able to afford to buy anything on the cruise. It was a weeklong cruise and he planned to eat his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the whole time for the length of the trip. As he finally embarked upon his long-awaited vacation, he was excited about the upcoming fun although it included the same meal day in and day out. At first, he was fine with his chosen fare, but after awhile, he began to notice all the food available to the other travelers. People were gorging themselves on beef, ham, turkey, chicken, and vegetables. He saw people having room service. He thought to himself, “Lord have mercy. I am here with peanut butter and jelly and these people are eating all of this!”

One day he saw one of the guys coming by with a big plate of food and the man asked how much would it cost just to get a little meal. This guy with the plate stared at the man. The man continued to explain that he only had enough money for his ticket, didn’t bring enough for the meals, but now thought he would like to try something small. With disbelief, the guy told the man that the meals were included in the price of the ticket.

There are a lot of Christians today eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, wondering why they can’t enjoy a megameal. They look around at other Christians who seem to be victorious, seem to be “on top,” or seem to be eating spiritual steak and potatoes, and wonder why they are limited to peanut butter, jelly, and bread. What that man on the cruise ship didn’t understand is what far too many Christians don’t understand, and that is the principle of grace.

When Jesus went through the heavens and was seated on the righthand side of the Father, all the meals were included in that ticket. All the help is in that ticket. All the enablement is in that ticket. All the strength is in that ticket. Leave the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches alone and avail yourself of the provisions of God that are in the ticket. Keep in mind, however, that they are only dispensed at the throne of grace.432

[Blessing; Christian Living, New Life; Grace, Provision of; Salvation, Provision of; Spiritual Food]

Luke 11:11–13; Phil. 4:19; 2 Peter 1:3