Hoekstra's Day by Day by Grace (February 20th)

The Grace of God and the Holy Spirit

This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts. "Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'" (Zechariah 4:6-7)

The Scriptures reveal a profound connection between God's grace and His Holy Spirit. Living by the grace of God and walking according to the Spirit are two different perspectives on the same reality. As we consider what walking in the Spirit comprises, we also gain insight into living day by day by grace.

Our passage from Zechariah confirms this correlation between grace and the Spirit. Here, the Lord gives a message to Zerubbabel, telling him how service is rendered unto God: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit." Human might or power will never be a sufficient resource for living life as God intended. Rather, the Holy Spirit must supply what we need for a life of service to the Lord.

In the next verse, this same truth is restated, using different terminology. Now the Lord is addressing the mountain of impossibilities that stood before Zerubbabel. "Who are you, O great mountain?" This leader of Israel was given the challenging mission of reestablishing the testimony of God in Jerusalem, as the people returned from captivity. The obstacles had the appearance of being a "great mountain." Nevertheless, God declares that this mountain of obstructions would become a highway for advancement. "Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!" Then, as God's man attended to God's assignment by the empowering of the Spirit, he would eventually place the final stone with an intriguing exclamation. "And he shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" This summary testimony would declare that God's grace was the explanation for the completion of the task. The relationship between grace and the Spirit is clear: "by My Spirit… grace, grace to it!" When we depend upon the Spirit, He works God's grace within our lives.

The early church also illustrated this "grace-Spirit" association. "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness…And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:31, 33). The former statement indicates that their boldness came from the Holy Spirit. The latter statement, two verses later, reveals that their boldness was a result of grace impacting them.