Do you understand Grace?

There is no word quite as beautiful as grace.

There are some words we hear over and over and after some time the power of the word starts to fade and the true meaning of it is lost in translation. I mean how many times have you heard the word awesome applied to just about everything; That was an awesome movie, that was an awesome game, that was an awesome experience - is anything truly awesome?

There is no word quite as beautiful as grace. In fact Philip Yancey calls grace the last best word. What is it about grace that makes such a difference? I think it is because grace goes against our human thinking. After all we have grown up thinking everything in life must be earned. Think about these statements...

We make money the old fashioned way, we... earn it

There is no such thing as a free... lunch

There is no gain without... pain

God helps those who... help themselves

Everything about the American way of life teaches us this simple truth. In life you get what you earn. You get what you work for. You get what you pay for. There is nothing wrong with that at all. That should be the American way. The problem is many people think the same way you relate to your paycheck or to your possessions is the way you relate to God. But God does not relate to us on the basis of our goodness. He relates to us on the basis of His Grace.

That is what makes grace so beautiful for grace is not a man made invention grace comes from God himself. He is the provider of grace, the deliverer of grace and the focus of grace. God's grace is seen in the incarnate Christ who came full of GRACE and Truth.

Today, why not think about how beautiful grace really is to each of us who are called by God.