Grace-Full
For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. –John 1:16 (ESV)
It took me a long time to understand grace. I had a definition: unmerited favor. I differentiated it from mercy. Mercy was not getting something bad you deserved while grace was getting something good you didn’t deserve. In terms of my faith, forgiveness of my sins was my best example of God’s mercy, while eternal life was my best example of God’s grace. All that is true – up to a point.
The part I didn’t understand is that everything is grace. Eternal life starts now and God’s grace is everywhere. Every breath I draw is grace. Every relationship. Seasons. Colors. Flavors. The fact that I was able to understand, appreciate, and believe the gospel of Christ – a manifestation of grace before I even began to enjoy the blessings of being in Christ. And it never stops.
Salvation is not transactional, it’s relational. The fact that I am a beloved child of God Almighty and there’s nothing I will ever do or neglect to do that will ever make Him love me any more or any less than He already does – that’s grace. The commands He offers are for my benefit, and He gives me free will to obey or not. More grace. If I miss Heaven, it will be because I chose not to go, and it will grieve Him because He made me for fellowship, to dwell in His presence forever.
The result is I now have more grace than I know what to do with. Inevitably, some of it spills out onto other people….
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. –Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
The main road just outside my neighborhood is two-lane blacktop. The speed limit between towns is 45-55 mph; in town it slows down to 30-35, with law enforcement in some precincts being quite sincere about posted limits. I drive an old pickup with a four-cylinder engine, not known for quick starts. I give myself a generous gap before pulling out onto that road. Saturday morning, I was scheduled to go have coffee with some guys.
Traffic wasn’t bad. I saw vehicles coming from both directions, but they were about 200 yards off. Nice gap – Mike (my truck) can do that. But the minivan coming from the south was moving faster than anticipated. As I reached 35 mph (which was about to be the speed limit anyway), I noticed he was coming in hot from behind. I braced for impact. He didn’t hit me, but with a scowl on his face, he enthusiastically shook his middle finger over the steering wheel to let me know I was Number 1!
When I was in my twenties, I might have stopped my vehicle and challenged the guy to a fight. When I was in my forties, I might have slowed down to 15 mph and dared him to pass me. Now that I’m in my sixties? I prayed for him. That poor fella was worked up about something that didn’t have anything to do with me. He didn’t need my anger, he needed some grace.
Ironically, he only followed me about a quarter-mile before pulling in to a convenience store. The guys I was meeting with decided he must’ve needed a toilet. Hey I’ve been there – the urgency can certainly leave one agitated. So I tell you that dumb story to say while I’m not the man I want to be, I thank God I’m not the man I once was. And that’s grace too, don’tcha think?
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. –2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV)