Grace Upon Grace
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. John 1:16 (NLT)
Understanding the grace of the Lord is a key that unlocks so many doors to our relationship with God. Grace is God’s unearned and underserved favor and goodness toward us. Think about all the things that God is doing right now out of His love for you and me.
The very act of creation and the sustaining of life is an act of God’s grace. He doesn’t need the universe to exist. He gets nothing from it that He didn’t have before. It was God’s desire to share His life with us that brought it all into existence. Therefore, we can appreciate every tree, sunset, flower, mountain, or wave as an act of God’s grace and goodness towards us. And we should!
God went out of His way to grace us when He became one of us in Jesus. He walked the earth and taught the mysteries of the kingdom out of His grace. He reached out to the poor and sick out of His grace. He died on the cross for our sins out of His grace. We have been lavished with the grace of God. He did all of this while knowing that we would fall so short of His glory. That is grace!
I want to point out two things that will happen in your heart when you understand this grace from God toward you everyday:
First, you will respond to God with natural acts of love and service. Bible study, prayers, worship, and giving will all become an avenue to give back to a God who already accepts you rather than an obligation to a God you hope will accept you.
Second, you will live a life of gratitude. There will be an overarching attitude in you that will be thankful for all you have, are, and will receive. This attitude will honor the Father, satisfy your soul, and be a delight to those around you.