All on the Principle of Grace

 The following is from Valerie Elliot Shepard's book Devotedly, a collection of her parents' love letters.  (Valerie Shepard is the daughter of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot.)

"'I see clearly now that anything—whatever it be—if it be not on the principle of grace, it is not of God. Here shall be my plea in weakness; here shall be my boldness in prayer; here shall be my deliverance in temptation; at last, here shall be my translation. Not of grace? Then not of God.

"And here, O Lord Most High, shall be Your glory and the honor of Your Son. The awakening for which I have asked, it shall come in Thy time on this principle by grace, through faith. Perfect my faith then, Lord, that I may learn to trust only in divine grace, that Thy work of holiness might soon begin in Portland.'  (Jim Elliot, from his journal.)

"I was all too legalistic for at least twenty years of my adult life, believing if I could just be more disciplined, God would be more pleased with me and I could climb that ladder of perfection, earning the reputation I desired. 

"My own rules of godliness were my ideals. More than I loved Him, I loved my rules of what a devoted wife and Christian home should be. Therefore, to borrow from my father’s words, I was not being 'delivered in temptation,' or being 'bold in prayer,' or understanding that His grace covered all my 'pleas in weakness.' Nor was I learning what my mother had told me throughout her life—how we shouldn’t always be examining our own holiness but simply seeking to please Him, that it’s up to Him to bring about change in us. As He helps us do His will, He conforms us into Christlikeness. It’s all grace. It’s not all about us.

"Knowing the ways of God helps us know the way to go.

"My parents knew this. And so while my dad was learning from the Word the deeper meanings of grace, my mother was learning from it as well—the deeper meanings of love, specifically what God was saying to her in Scripture about the way she and my dad should see and handle their uncommon friendship."  (Valerie Shepard's comment.)