Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace
It Must Be Experienced!
Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us. God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. Colossians 1:9-14 (MSG)
Grace is an indispensable part of the Christian Life. However, like so many things in life, knowing the definition is simply not enough. Grace, this unmerited favor of God, must be experienced. This story adapted from Steve Lucas helps illustrate this point.
“I want you to imagine a couple sitting in a coffee shop. And you are one table over… You know, those coffee shops are small enough; you can hear almost every conversation in the room… and there is a couple there. And they are in love. And they are absolutely head over heels for each other. They are staring, looking into each other’s eyes. And there is that longing and the sigh. And you can just feel the passion emanating. And finally she looks at him, and she says, “I want to know you.” There is a little grin on her face, a little giggle.
And you are thinking, “Yeah, I know what she means.” And he looks back at her, and he says, “Fine. I will send you a book I wrote about myself so you can read it. And you can know me.” And she says, “No, you know, I want to be close.” And he says, “I know. That is why I am sending you to this seminar that is all about my life, so that you can feel closer to me in a two-day experience.” And she reaches over. She grabs his hand. And she says, “I want to be with you.” He says, “Well, that is nice. There is a course at church that you can take where you can be with me.”
See, I am not talking about increasing your knowledge. Knowledge puffs up. Knowledge has the power to make you arrogant, and that is just about it. That is all knowledge can do for you if it is divorced from what the real intent of knowledge is. It is to cause you to grow in love, grow in faith.”
The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:13 (NASB), “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Experience the grace that God gives you for the journey of life. Our hope, our help is found in Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord,
Your grace is a gift that helps me to find the purpose and meaning in this life. Help me to live boldly, without fear, because Your grace is sufficient for me. In Jesus Name, Amen.