Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace

The Cost of Grace

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. Colossians 1:11-12 (HCSB)

Mary Lewis shares this true story. Two guys in a church, Paul and William decided that they really wanted to become godly men. So they started meeting with one another to pray and encourage one another; they even set goals for themselves and their behavior, and then were accountable to the other one.

Paul decided he wanted to break his habit of using profanity. He decided he was going to put five dollars in the offering for every time he swore during the week. In order to stay accountable, he would tell William how many times he’d failed.

The first week cost Paul $100.

Now, Paul must’ve been doing ok financially, because that didn’t stop his swearing. In fact, while he improved somewhat over the next couple weeks, he really wasn’t having the success he wanted and was losing a lot of hard-earned cash. After the fourth week, William told Paul he had decided that the deal needed to be changed for the coming week, but he wasn’t going to tell Paul how it would change. He just said, “Trust me. It will cost you both less and more.”

When they met the following Sunday before worship, Paul admitted he’d failed again. William put a hand on his shoulder and said, “Paul, I told you this was going to cost you both less and more. It’s called grace.” William took out his checkbook, and made out a check to the church, leaving the amount blank. He gave the check to Paul and said, “Your sin still costs, but for you it’s free. Just fill in the numbers. And next week there will be more grace.”

William’s grace cost him $55 the first week; the second only cost him $20. There was no third week. Paul couldn’t bear to see what his sin was costing his friend, so he quit sinning.

Grace is never cheap. The cost is priceless and the result of grace can best be expressed in the words of the old slave trader John Newton:

I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be.

I am not what I hope to be. But still, I am not what I used to be.

And by the grace of God, I am what I am.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the tremendous price You paid for me! I cherish the forgiveness of my sin through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

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.

Marvelous, Infinite, Matchless Grace!

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him. Colossians 1:11-14 (HCSB)

Have you ever met someone who demands more of others than they are capable or willing to do? It is so easy to see the faults in others while being completely blind to your own. Charles Shultz humorously portrays this in his comic strip, “Peanuts”. “Lucy is seen saying that if she was in charge of the world, she’d change everything. Charlie says, “That wouldn’t be easy. Where would you start?” Lucy looks directly at him, and without hesitation, points her finger at him and says, “I’d start with you!”

When people act like this, it tends to evoke a lot of emotions like frustration, aggravation, and infuriation. Once I get past these, I find that what I am left with is sadness. I think sadness is accurate because I realize what they are forfeiting. They settle for living their lives pointing out the faults of others while ignoring their own. Then I am filled with gratitude because I have the greatest gift ever given: Grace!

Paul, in writing to the church at Colossae, tells us that “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness”. One of the greatest aspects of the domain of darkness is the inability to see. It is only by the power of God through Christ Jesus that we are able to begin to see who we really are in light of who He really is. Paul tells the church in Ephesus “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB) Grace is unmerited favor!

As I begin to understand the grace that has been given so undeservingly to me, I am overwhelmed. I am filled with a tremendous feeling of gratitude. And then I realize, and here is where it gets difficult, that I am even compelled to share it with the one who is unwilling to give it to me! Jerry Bridges has a quote that is worth remembering: “Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

This marvelous, infinite, matchless grace is what we all need to get and we must, when received, give it to others!

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

I am amazed that You would love me such that You would be gracious to me. I know that I do not deserve it. There have been times when I have been unwilling to be gracious to others. Please forgive me. Thank You for loving me. Help me to love others. In Jesus Name, Amen.