Jan 25, 2022
You’re a Christ-centered leader. You’re also a Jesus follower.
As we focus on hope throughout the year, we are creating this to be a resource for leaders in their walk with Jesus. Hope Throughout the Year is a place where we’re asking questions about the intersection of faith and daily life, where we’re inviting you to live into the beliefs you talk about, preach about and teach about; and, where we’re practicing the means of grace - works of piety and works of mercy.
Being a follower of Jesus is impossible without God’s grace. God comes to us, saves us, provides for us, and holds us close in the way God chooses. You and I neither choose the ways God brings about our transformation nor command God to make us Jesus followers.
Yet, we can choose to use those means of grace that have consistently been used by God to draw us toward him. Unless we develop the ways God has provided, we will not produce the fruit of discipleship or experience the joy of becoming who God created us to be.
John Wesley believed that the grace of God was freely offered to all people. He believed that God used the means of grace to offer the benefits of grace to all believers.
It was Wesley’s belief that regular and consistent use of the means of grace put us into a healthy relationship with God and one another.
He was convinced that human beings are not strong enough or good enough to go on to perfection, to become who God created us to be, without God’s help. God’s help comes through the use of the means of grace.
Maybe another way of saying it is, “The means of grace are a way of being awakened to God’s grace.”
So, what does that mean for us regarding leading with hope?
The means of grace give access to God’s presence in the world. Som maybe a question to ask yourself is, “Where have I seen God at work today?”
The means of grace keep us on the path to becoming who God created us to be. Ask yourself, “How have I been growing in my faith?”
In all situations and circumstances, the means of grace keep us close to God.
Following Jesus was not easy in Wesley’s time and it is not easy in our time. But God has the means of grace available for us to stay connected with the One for whom all things are possible.
It is inconceivable that you should live a transformed life without tapping into the resources of God to do that transforming work within you.
Need a little help in leading with hope? Try using the means of grace daily for the next month.
Discover a multitude of resources entering your life through the disciplined use of the means of grace.