Do you understand what grace is? Have you been shown grace? Have you shown grace to someone else? Grace is a word that gets thrown around a lot in religious circles. But we may not fully understand it. We may state it is unmerited favor, and we would be correct. But do we really understand it?
We get a glimpse of it with some of our bills. Some loans will allow us to be late by a few days without penalty. Some insurance companies will allow us to be late in paying our premium without canceling your policy. These are small examples and are for a limited amount of time.
God’s grace is far more than any of those. The expiration date is Jesus’ return, not the length of our lives. His grace does not postpone our payment but cancels it. His grace does not cover only one facet of our life but every facet. It is only by his grace that we can be saved, that we have the opportunity of eternal life with him.
We may argue that we need to choose to be saved. That is true. Yet, our opportunity to make that choice is only by his grace. This is part of what John Wesley called prevenient grace—God’s grace working in us before we accept Jesus as our Savior. Through God’s grace we are given a choice. Prevenient grace also includes God putting people in our lives to tell us about Jesus.
But God’s grace is far greater than that. In his grace we live and breathe. By his grace we are given talents, skills, and abilities. Because of his grace our sins are forgiven. Not just a few but all of them. We can do nothing to earn his grace. It is given to us freely. God’s grace covers us because of his love for us. We cannot boast about being saved for we have done nothing to earn it. It is not of our doing but God’s grace.
I pray we all come to know God’s grace. I pray we understand it is far greater than we give it credit. I pray each one of us will accept God’s grace and spread his grace to others. Know God’s grace is big. Give God the credit due him. Do not boast in being saved. Tell others about God’s grace.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
Marty Pressey 