G.R.A.C.E.

Friday - February 4th

Scripture to Read Today: Ephesians 2:1-10

---

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4-5

Often when we hear the word "grace," we think of someone saying grace before a meal. It is a prayer expressing gratitude to God for His good gifts to us. Sometimes this wonderful word can represent some abstract theology or is insider language simply thrown around by Bible teachers and pastors.

This little word "grace" speaks of a gift or the act of giving. The Scriptures describe God as being full of grace. He is not just a taste or a glimpse of it. His very being encompasses all grace. He is a giver by nature. He gives what His children do not deserve.

One of the first Bible verses a young child learns is Romans 3:23. It tells us that all of us have sinned. And our sin causes us to fall short of the holy character of God. The picture isn't pretty. Romans 3:20-24 makes it perfectly clear that we cannot do enough, become enough, give enough, or serve enough to measure up to God. We fall short and have no hope. But God! But God, had a plan.

Paul echoes the same theme in Ephesians 2:1-10. "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). Did you catch what Paul said? "Because of God's great love for us." That is grace. But God!

The plan God had entailed God reaching out to us when we could not measure up to Him. Jesus walked among other human beings. Just having God, the Son, encase Himself in human skin demonstrates how much God is a giver to us of what we do not deserve. We do not deserve to be forgiven. We do not deserve the gift of eternal life. But God knew we could not save ourselves. He graced us or gifted us the blessing of salvation in Jesus' name.

Grace flows from God naturally. Someone has taken the word grace and turned it into an acrostic:

G -od's

R -iches

A -t

C -hrist's

E - xpense

What an excellent summary of the attribute of God! His grace gets extended and offered to us through the sacrifice of his only son. It is a gift. Each of us must decide whether we will receive that gift or reject it. If you have received it, PRAISE THE LORD! If you have not accepted the gift of forgiveness purely based on God's Son, receive the gift of grace today!

We were under the curse of our sin, but because of God's great love for us, God showered us with His grace!