esides his astounding voice, one other thing that stands out about Adam Lambert is his graciousness. It's a trait we would all do well to emulate, focusing our attention on others. Join me in this study of the book of Ephesians to find out how to be more grace-filled in your own life, and receive the blessings that come along with it.

Introduction: The Grace Of An American Idol

by Eric Elder

Even if you’ve never watched American Idol, you may still have heard of Adam Lambert. He’s competing this week in the grand finale of the nation’s most famous singing contest.

Besides having an astounding voice, there’s another thing that stands out to me about this top contender: his consistent graciousness.

When complimented by the judges for an outstanding performance, Adam readily offers his thanks to those in the band who helped make it possible. When asked by the host how he’ll be adding his own spin to a famous song, Adam compliments the one who wrote the song, saying that it was so well-written there’s little he could add to make it better.

It seems that almost every time a compliment comes his way, Adam steers the praise towards those around him.

While not many of us will ever be able to sing like Adam Lambert, we can all take a lesson from this other facet of his life that has helped to make him so incredibly successful: his graciousness towards others. Besides his “crazy vocals,” it seems that his ability to be so “other-focused” is part of what has made him so popular with those who watch him perform week after week.

When your thoughts, words and actions are filled with grace, people are naturally drawn towards you. They’re more likely to listen to what you have to say, to do what you ask them to do, and to become all that they can become. God wants you to be grace-filled, not only because it will enhance your life, but because it will enhance the lives of those around you as well.

God knows what a blessing graciousness can be because He’s been showering people with grace throughout human history. He knows that the best way to express His love to others is to overwhelm them with His grace.

God’s grace has helped transform countless lives, turning some of the most sour, bitter and angry people into people who are the most joy-filled, happy, and delightful people I know. I’ve also seen how those who don’t understand God’s grace, or who find it hard to understand or receive, also find it hard to express grace to others in meaningful or practical ways.

As for me, well, I guess I’m somewhere in between! I’d like to be more consistently gracious, but I’m not there yet. Sometimes I’m just too self-focused. Sometimes I become critical of others, forgetting how much grace God has already showered upon me. Sometimes I’m just not thinking, and ungraciousness slips out when I should have been gracious instead. Whatever the reason, I know that I have a lot to learn and a lot of room to grow.

So in the coming weeks, I’m going to be taking a closer look at the book of Ephesians, and I’d be glad for you to take a look along with me. Even though the book is only six chapters long, Ephesians is one of the most grace-filled books in the whole Bible. The Apostle Paul, who wrote the book originally as a letter to the Christians in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus (now modern-day Turkey), filled his letter with grace both in words and tone.

From the opening words to the closing line, Paul uses the word “grace” a dozen times, encouraging the Ephesians to understand and receive God’s grace for themselves and then to extend it to others. He prayed for them the same prayer that I’ll be praying for you, and for myself, in the weeks ahead:

“...that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide, and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:18-19).

I’m looking forward to this study of the book of Ephesians. I pray that God will overwhelm you with His grace, and that you’ll find it the most natural thing in the world to pour it out on others as well.

Let’s pray...

Father, thank You for the graciousness that we’ve seen displayed in the lives of others, and thank You for the graciousness that You’ve showered upon us. Help us, Lord, to be filled so much with Your grace that it flows out to those around us as well, blessing them--and ourselves--along the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

P.S. If you’d like to get a head start on our study, I’d encourage you to sit down sometime this week and read the entire book of Ephesians in one sitting. It only takes about 20-30 minutes, and it will give you an overview of what the Apostle Paul was trying to express to the Ephesians. Then, as we study it together, you’ll get a better idea of what God might want to express to you.

If you’ve never read the book of Ephesians before, I think you’ll find it to be filled with both grand thoughts about God and practical suggestions for your life. For those who have read it before, I think you’ll be amazed at how many of the most famous verses in the Bible are found in this very short book. And if you don’t have a Bible, or if you just want to read it in a different version or language, here’s a link where you can read it for free on the Internet. Just click the link, enter “Ephesians 1” in the search box, and keep reading through all six chapters.
biblegateway.com

To read more from this series, "Ephesians: Lessons In Grace," click here.