Fueling Up on God’s Grace: How Can We Receive and Embrace It?

Thirsty? Grab a Gatorade. Need something to fill your hunger between a hard practice and long day of classes? Power bars should do the trick. The world is full of quick and easy thirst and hunger quenchers that send us on our way through the frantic schedule of sports, schoolwork, jobs and extracurricular activities.

These may fuel our bodies for a while, but eventually we’ll burn right through them and be left in the same spot. Our bodies need true nourishment to keep us in peak condition.

It’s the same for our spiritual lives. Our spirits need the right fuel to think, act and live as God’s children and represent Him to the world.

So much in life can drain us, and we can quickly start running on empty. But we have grace as God’s greatest fuel that doesn’t only fill us up, but it keeps us replenished.

How do we fuel up on God’s grace? Swallow down the Bread of Life that will never leave us hungry.

“‘I am the bread of life,’ Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.’” — John 6:35

Jesus offers a new way to fuel. As an athlete, you might be looking for nutritional and healthy ways to unlock your full potential. But with God, there is a greater fuel that will empower your body, mind and spirit: faith, hope and love. These things poured into us through the life of Jesus will give us the guidance of His Holy Spirit within us. We can strive all we want, but if we don’t allow Jesus to sustain us, we will crash and burn.

I don’t know about you, but I’m in need of replenishment and strength that He brings, highlighted in 1 Corinthians 13: “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love — but the greatest of these is love.”

How does Jesus fuel these areas, and why is it important?

Jesus fuels your faith

Everywhere we look points towards panic. Catch a bit of the news and you’ll hear about scandals, catastrophes and tragedy. In a time where the world offers fear, God is offering belief in something bigger and better that goes beyond confusion and doubt. He’s offering truth and comfort that He is in control. When all seems to be spinning in uncertainty, faith in His power and sovereignty holds us steady.

“Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1

Jesus fuels your hope

Does it seem that more and more despair seeps into conversations? Along with the worries of the world, it doesn’t seem like humanity is doing much to come up with a solution. Feeling alone and discouraged is incredibly disorientating, and it’s tempting to believe things won’t change. But while the world is offering hopelessness, God is offering the promise of a better today, a brighter future and an unimaginable eternity.

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” — Romans 15:13

Jesus fuels your love

Sometimes, it all just feels too much. Too much anger, too much defensiveness and too much of a demand to take sides. It gets exhausting: trying to keep the peace, and often, your attempts go unnoticed or unappreciated. The way to combat the friction is not a louder voice but a softer heart. While the world is offering anger and hate, God is offering unconditional, sacrificial and selfless love that can flow to you and through you.

“And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him.” — 1 John 4:16

Through Jesus, we can be fueled in every way to live a full life and experience a greater performance with Him. Our lives can take new shape as we embrace the truth of God’s Word and who He says we are. Our spiritual muscles grow, the Light of the world lives within us, and we reflect that light to a fractured world.

Let God’s grace be your fuel. He alone is the source of sustaining replenishment.

Sarah Freymuth is the Communications Manager for Fellowship of Christian Athletes and writes content for blogs, articles, Bible reading plans and devotionals that share God’s heart with coaches and athletes. She played softball for Concordia University Wisconsin, is in their Hall of Fame, and has led FCA Huddles since high school.