Generous Grace

Generous Grace

Ephesians 1:3-8: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

It’s an amazing thing to think about isn’t it, His amazing, glorious, freely given, lavished upon us grace? I have to admit that there are times, when I take an honest look at my heart and its deceitfulness and I can’t help but say, “His amazing grace, that saved a wretch like me.”

• Unmerited favor....in His choosing me. I bring absolutely no goodness or merit to the table of His grace. He chose me before I had a chance to do anything even remotely deemed as good. He chose me, before the creation of the world.

• Unmerited favor...in His saving me. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.” Saving grace is from God and by God. He’s the author and perfecter of our salvation.
  

When we really begin to understand what we were apart from His grace it can’t help but transform us. Once I was dead in my transgressions and sins, living only to gratify my sinful desires and fully deserving of the totality of God’s wrath. But because of His grace and love for me, He provided the perfect substitute; One who would willingly take the punishment I deserved, take the wrath of God that I deserved, and in addition in that transaction, give me His righteousness that I did not deserve. A total win-win for me. The realization of His amazing, glorious, freely given, and lavished upon us grace should make us graceful people, graceful in the way we treat others. I have heard Beth Moore say that to the measure we believe we have been graced, we will grace others. When I realize how much His grace has forgiven me, I should be quick to extend the grace of forgiveness to others. His loving kindness is an expression of His grace, as are the bountiful blessings He has given us. So I must ask myself, “Do I extend genuine loving kindness to others, not just those who are my family and friends? Do I bless others in word and action? Or am I only thinking about what others are giving me?” Generous grace...a grace that gives to others as it has been given and received, freely and abundantly lavished upon grace. That is making our theology and reality collide head on.