And from his fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace. John 1:16 ESV
I woke up this morning feeling enamored with God’s grace. I can scarcely imagine the number of times God has rescued me and kept me from destruction. Morning by morning new mercies I see because of God’s grace. Despite my rebelliousness, God has reconciled me to himself and kept me in His secret place so I can live victoriously through Christ.
I walked into my office and started my workday with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for God’s grace because of my unlimited and unrestricted access to God through prayer. As I opened the Holy Bible to find a text to write this devotional, I became convicted of how grace influenced my thoughts and informed my decisions. Grace allows me to commune with God without guilt and shame. Because of Grace, I worship the Lord with confidence and with the trust that He hears and welcomes my worship.
God’s grace is often underappreciated and misunderstood. Like a bottomless pit, God’s grace never ends. It has no limits or restrictions. The righteous and the wicked can draw from its ever-flowing streams. In our humanity, we cannot fathom how deep, high, wide, and far-reaching is God’s amazing grace.
No word in the English language can capture the profundity of God’s grace. This grace is far more than amazing. It is beyond extravagance and totally gratuitous. Indeed, we cannot earn God’s grace, nor do we deserve it. Grace can never be overused or exhausted. It is the essence of God’s providential love and His benevolent mercy.
God’s grace is a commodity that increases in value the more time we learn about God and His divine plan of salvation. It is the currency that assures our salvation through Christ Jesus despite our sinful nature. But for God’s grace, we would be like an aimless ship vacillating on an ocean of meaninglessness heading toward eternal destruction. As stated by Paul Tillich, “Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes us when we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life…. It strikes us when despair destroys all joy and courage. Sometimes at that moment, a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: ‘You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know.” Paul Tillich quoted in Brennan Manning’s The Ragamuffin Gospel, p.28-29.
Human beings cannot exist without grace. Our planet is sustained by God’s grace. Indeed, by God’s grace, the sun is rightly positioned to provide enough warmth without overwhelming the planet with its heat. By God’s grace the ground yield fruits and vegetables to satisfy our physical hunger. Grace causes the rain to fall and the trees to supply the necessary oxygen for us to breathe.
More importantly, because of God’s grace, we have an eternal inheritance and are adopted into God’s divine family. Grace keeps us hidden in God through Christ. In Titus 2:11-14, we read,
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
Questions for Personal Reflection
How is God’s grace evident in your life?
How do you express your gratitude to God for His extravagant grace?
Prayer- Blessed Lord, I thank you for your extravagant grace I experience day after day. I thank you for this grace that reaches the highest mountain and flows to the lowest valley. Your grace never fails and is endless. May I never take your grace for granted, and remain forever thankful for all that you do for me because of your grace.