One way my younger daughter tries to carry out a ‘revenge’ on her elder sister (Grace) is to ask me to beat her. She would often say, “Daddy, beat Grace” whenever they have had a disagreement. Sometimes I wonder if she knows that I’m Grace’s Dad as much as I’m her own Dad. I cannot beat Grace.

Friend, how often do we ask or think that God should punish people simply because we don’t like them or we have an issue with them? We fail to realize that God is not who we think; He is not man. He is loving. He wants to extend mercy to others as He has done to us (Ephesians 2:4-14, 1 Timothy 1:14-16).

You cannot use God to settle scores with people. Rather, God wants to use you to be an instrument of peace in a world full of evils. This is why we are admonished to “follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14). This is the expectation of God over us as new creations.

God expects us to be people of peace. He wants us to extend the same mercy that we have obtained to others. Rather than trying to ‘use God’ to cause people harm, God wants to use us to broker His peace with others. He wants us to live up to our identity as peace makers as the world needs the peace of God that passes all misunderstanding (Matthew 5:9, Romans 5:1-2, Ephesians 2:14).

On a flip note, I cannot beat Grace. Neither can you. A man that is legalistic will never understand the economy of Grace. He does not understand why God keeps blessing people he never considers to be deserving of His blessings. Listen, no matter how you try, you cannot beat Grace. You cannot compete with a man enjoying Grace.

“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain…” (1 Corinthians 15:10). This must be the confession of every child of God. You are what you are by God’s Grace; God’s hands extended in your favour. We must live conscious of this truth and tap into it. No man can beat Grace. Enjoy Grace today! Amen!

© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria