"She knows well I don't deserve her/ But she laughs and says, 'that's the way Love goes.'"
-Dave Barnes, "Grace's Amazing Hands"
Life hasn't been it's normal, mundane self for me the last month or so. There have been a series of semi-stressful events that have really thrown me through some loops and has challenged me in different ways. Without going into the details of those various situations, I will get to my point. Throughout each of the life circumstances that have come my way recently, one theme has rang true in all situations, and that theme is "Grace."
Today's sermon at church was about Jesus's death. Pastor reiterated a couple of times the fact that God voluntarily died for our sins. Jesus didn't have to endure the excruitating pain that He faced, but He did so anyway. The next question then is, "Why would He do that?" The answer is simple: Because He loves us so much.
It's a love none of us can fathom, though. It's an undeserving, unconditional, no matter what kind of love. The kind of love that none of us really knows much about. We are fallen creatures who were created to love in this way, but since sin has entered our world, loving consists of us getting what we want from someone else, and when they fail us, we leave them behind and find someone (or thing) new to love. It's not like that with Jesus. We mess up and He says, "Come here my friend (John 15:9-17). Find comfort in me (Isaiah 49:13). I have already taken care of it (John 3:16)." WHAT!?! Who says things like that to people who perpetually messed up? Jesus does. He dishes out grace like a huge helping of Grandma's mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving Dinner.
Without God's amazing grace, I'm pretty sure my thoughts, actions, and motives would have plummeted me straight to the gates by now. I am so undeserving of His love for me, but I am not going to let that hinder my faith in the One who makes all things new.
"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." Ephesians 2:4-9
