Yesterday we explored the present of mercy. Today we will open the present of GRACE! I call it a present because it is a gift, not something we earned. Paul expresses this in Ephesians 2:8-9. He calls it a gift. We can’t earn it, and we can’t buy it, but we can receive it. This rich blessing is totally undeserved and there is nothing about us that would cause a perfect, holy God to save us. It is only because of His goodness that he gave His Son to take our place so that we could be reconciled to Him.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
When I taught children the best way for them to remember it was to use the word in an acrostic. Grace- God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense! It is his unmerited favor on us. The riches of God are found in His Son. It was at God’s expense that he came to this earth, to be born in a manger so that he could live a sinless life, and die on a cross.
We also live in the sphere of grace after we become Christians. Once we are saved it is our mission to live out our new birth by carrying out His purpose. We are to glorify Him in all we do.
I Corinthians 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
Everything in our life is a reflection of who we belong to and that thought should be kept in the forefront of our minds. As a child, I remember my Mom explaining to me that I needed to think before I acted because everything I did was a reflection on them. There were many times that I refrained from certain activities because I did not want to be an embarrassment to them.
Why wouldn’t we want to do everything for Him and to honor Him? Look what Paul says he has done for us in Colossians.
Colossians 1:12-13 “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”
Wow! Look what his unmerited favor gave us. We were in the kingdom of darkness, under the power of Satan, living according to our own selfish interests. We were spiritually dead!
Ephesians 2:1-2 “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:”
This gift of grace was extended by God through the coming, death, and resurrection of Jesus. All our sins were placed on Him and His righteousness was placed on our account. We now can approach him as a son or daughter. We can call him Abba Father. We can enjoy His sweet presence in our lives and know that he will never leave us. As long as we are placing our faith in Him he is eternally ours!
Because of this gift called grace we have a new destination, a new hope for the future, a new family that we can call our own, and we become a new creature in Him.
II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.”
What an amazing gift! I am so thankful for this gift called GRACE!
