GRACE

Grace is one of the most beautiful words in the world.  It is found numerous times in the Bible, especially in the New Testament.  When Jesus came to this earth John records that He came “full of grace and truth.”

Paul writes to Titus, “The grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men.”   He also writes in Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith, and not of yourselves.”

As Christians we love God’s grace.  Grace is God, authoring the free gift of salvation to all who would receive it.  Grace is God, paying the full price to accomplish our salvation through His incarnation and atoning death.  Grace is God, throwing wide open the doors of His kingdom to all who want to come in. 

Grace is God, giving to us what we neither deserve nor could acquire, namely, a salvation with an incredible beginning and no ending.

As beautiful as grace is, it can have a dark, seductive side.  It can convince us that God’s love is so great it will never run dry, and no matter how we live, God is always there to forgive.  It can lead us to abuse His grace, living casually according to our own wants and desires.  As long as our ticket is punched for heaven, we live on earth with freedom, liberty and a fairly undisciplined spiritual life.

A proper understanding of grace should lead us to embrace God with a growing affection.  We see His grace as a gift that draws us closer to our God, deepens our love for Him and delights in living fully the life He died to give us.  Grace leads us to want Him more than anything else, to die to self and live for Christ. 

Because of His grace God invested His all in us.  I can’t think of any reason why His grace wouldn’t motivate us to invest our all in Him.  Do you?  See you Sunday to celebrate His grace together.