THIS IS GRACE

We’re not through with ‘grace’ by any means, it is the foundation of the Kingdom of God.  I am overwhelmed by the complexity, beauty, and richness of God’s grace to the point of tears as I write this.  My prayer is that we never allow ourselves to diminish the power of His grace, through trivializing it.  We, who once stood as accused men before the holiness of our creator, can only grasp the treasures of his truth with trembling fingers.  If we are to be a testament to the principalities , and powers of the air to the manifold wisdom of God, then grace should be the song that speaks our testimony in more than written words.  God’s grace is poured out on the hardened clay of our hearts, and He gently traces the words of life upon them with His very own fingers.  Can any angel, demon, or heavenly being deny the wondrous beauty of God’s holiness, when they view His grace at work in our lives? 

We who stole, steal no more.  We who told lies, lie no more.  We who betrayed our creator’s love, ignoring His tender calls to repentance, are now embraced in His loving embrace.  He still walks in the garden, calling out to us as a Father for His lost child. 

But, that is not grace. 

We who thought only of ourselves, are consumed with touching the lives of others.  We who desired to live in the pleasures of this life, make another life our desire.  We who had no way to appease the wrath of a just God, stand righteous, holy, and blameless before Him. 

But, that is not grace.

When Satan held the law before us, and spoke of our wicked deeds, Christ nailed them to the cross.  Not only were our deeds crucified with Christ, but Christ made a mockery of sin, and death, parading them for all to see how weak and powerless they are before a loving savior.  Not just content to nail our sins to a tree, he cast them into the sea of forgetfulness.  They are forgotten!  Never to be remembered again! 

But, that is not grace.

I stood before Him, guilty as charged; treasonous, lecherous, vile, carnally minded, rebellious, faithless, and devoid of any good thing.  Yet, He called me brother, adopted me, put a ring upon my finger, and a robe upon my sin weary shoulders.  I would have been happy to be a slave in His household, yet He crowns me with His glory. 

But, that is not grace. 

What is grace?   Grace is everything I’d desired to steal from Him.  The Apostle Peter said it so succinctly;  He has given us everything we need for life and godliness. 

Grace is everything we need for life and godliness.  He gives us of the vast storehouse of His grace, everything.  When Satan says God is holding something back, we hold up ‘everything’ crying out: “ It is mine!  MINE!”   Yet, it isn’t mine, because strangely  enough for those with open hands, all that is poured out upon us, is given as God’s gracious gift to others. We find ourselves desiring to give it away, it baffles us, yet consumes us.  He was not satisfied to rescue, and redeem, He had to give us equal standing.  Everything!   Everything we need is ours.  Our accuser has to fall back in shame as God loads our pockets with His riches. 

Please, let’s not trivialize Grace!