After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. (1 Peter 5:10)

Grace is one of the most important words in the NT, used in Paul’s writings 83 times and Peter’s 10 times. It is an action word, as in God acts graciously towards us, and it is a “thing,” a noun, something given: “May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (1 Peter 1:2). In our context today, God is defined as the God of all grace—that is, He acts towards us in all graciousness, and He abundantly gives us all grace.

God’s grace was foretold in the OT: “The prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries” (1 Peter 1:10).

God’s grace sustains us in suffering: “Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

God’s grace crosses gender lines: “Show her [your wife] honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7).

God shows His grace often through human means: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

Grace is selectively experienced: “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5).

We must respond to God’s grace with resolved faith: “I have written to you … that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!” (1 Peter 5:12).

God desires for us the full grace experience: “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1:2).

Peter’s final word on this subject is that we should never stop maturing in grace: “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

Yes, God is the God of all grace. He is graciously at work in us, not because we deserve any of it. He graciously has called us “to His eternal glory in Christ!” How good is that?! If that were not enough, He has committed Himself to making us perfect. To the scattered believers who were living as “aliens” in the eastern Mediterranean area of the ancient world, God would also confirm them in their faith, strengthen them and establish them. In other words, persecution would not get the better of them, because God is the God of all grace. And He continues to be the God of all grace to us, as well.

Dear Lord, I am so thankful that You graciously work in my life in every way.