Grace

Grace is such a God-centered concept. Apart from God, there is no understanding of grace. Apart from God, there is no demonstration of grace, either to us or to others. Grace starts with God, flows from God, and points back to God. Grace is a God-thing.

The experience of God’s grace in our lives is a multifaceted event. When it seems like God has given us the totality of His grace, there is another part of grace that reminds us how awesome God is. When we get to the end of grace, there is always more grace to encounter.

In the New Testament, we read: “And the God of all grace…” (1 Peter 5:10, NIV). Every ounce of grace that we receive is from God. He is the God of “all grace.” There is no grace source other than Him. And, that grace comes in different packages.

Some of you reading have embraced God’s Saving Grace. This is the grace that floods our lost, sin-stained soul with the grace of Jesus so that our sins can be forgiven, our stains can be washed, and our lives can be renewed. If you are a follower of Jesus, you have experienced that saving grace.

If you have not yet been saved, you can receive the saving grace by responding in faith to Jesus Christ, turning away from your sin as you turn to Christ, and start to walk in the new life that comes in Christ. You can have your heart flooded with the saving grace of becoming a child of God.

The God of “all grace” also pours Sustaining Grace into us. This is the grace that gets us through the tough times. This grace brings victory when everything in our lives looks like we should be defeated. Sustaining grace upholds us through the tough times and allows us to worship and give God glory, even if the circumstances in our life are crashing in around us. This grace keeps us going through the storms.

Our “all grace” God offers Restoring Grace. This grace is pictured in the parable of the Prodigal Son as the loving father welcomes home his wayward son. If you are a child of God but you have wandered away from the Lord, He will welcome you home. His arms are open. His grace is waiting. When you walk toward Him, He comes running to you. Grace welcomes home the child of God that has been gone for a while. Maybe you’ve been gone a long while. God’s arms are still open, and His grace is still available. You can come home.

Finally, the God of “all grace” calls us to experience His grace by Offering Grace to others. This grace is what flows through us to be able to forgive others when they hurt us. The wounds may be plentiful and deep in our hearts. But, we can still offer grace to those who have wronged us.

Grace: God giving us what we don’t deserve.