Life was not intended by God to be a struggle. Man was meant to effortlessly obtain everything he needed and to fully enjoy life. As evident in Genesis 2:15, God placed Adam in charge of the garden of Eden to tend and care for it. Adam’s role did not require him to toil for his meals; instead, he had access to a vast array of trees and animals.
Unfortunately, the scenario shifted from enjoyment to struggle with the serpent’s intrusion and its unwarranted attention. Because Adam and Eve succumbed to the devil’s deception and disobeyed God’s command, a divine curse was imposed upon them, as recorded in Genesis 3:17-19. Hence, the many struggles we face today have their roots in this biblical account.
This explains why failing to address minor issues in a timely manner can be detrimental, given the potential for those issues to escalate into major problems that can cause significant harm in the future. The serpent mentioned in Genesis 3:1 gradually grew into the dragon described in Revelation 20:2. The serpent that Adam and Eve failed to subdue, over time, has become the dragon that Jesus Christ would later confront, overcome and bind for a millennium.
As noted in Romans 16:20, Scripture assures us, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” This declaration signifies that Satan, referred to as the serpent of old, is no longer in charge; for he has been divinely placed beneath our feet. The divine grace that we have received through faith in Jesus Christ empowers us to triumph over Satan and all his malevolent agents as stated in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
As stated in John 1:12, all those who accept Jesus Christ are granted the authority to become children of God, specifically all those who have faith in His name, indicating that grace not only saves us but also empowers us to become God’s children. Through divine grace, Jesus Christ transforms us from sinners to saints and elevates us from servants to friends, according to John 15:15, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
As also stated in John 1:14, Jesus Christ is characterized as being full of grace and truth. Furthermore, in verse sixteen, Saint John declares that from His fullness, we have all received grace upon grace. This divine grace has the capability to not only save us from sin but also to deliver us from the devil’s grasp, including every satanic scheme and demonic influence.
As Job 14:1 so aptly puts it, life is marked by brevity and battle, yet there is solace in truly knowing Jesus Christ, the name above all names. This highly exalted name rightly belongs to the King of kings and the Lord of lords, who reigns supreme forever. As the head of all principality and power, Colossians 2:10 affirms that we find completeness in Him. It follows that we, as believers, are chosen for dominion, more than conquerors, with an eternal advantage.
Grace is indeed our eternal advantage. The demonstration of God’s love and mercy is grace, extended to us at the expense of Jesus Christ’s immense sacrifice. In our perspective, grace is God’s free gift to us that saves and delivers us; however, from Jesus Christ’s viewpoint, it was an immense sacrifice that necessitated the surrender of His life.
Henceforth, as we continue to enjoy divine grace, let us ever bear in mind the Son of God’s sacrifice, wherein He paid the full price for our redemption and forgiveness of sins through the shedding of His precious blood, as noted in Ephesians 1:7 and reaffirmed in Colossians 1:14. May our lives be worthy of the divine grace that has saved and delivered us, and, as Apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 15:10, may we have the courage to also declare at the end of our days here on earth that His grace toward us was not without purpose in Jesus’ name.
