Grace in a New View

Moses said it.

Gideon said it.

David said it.

They said, “Who am I that God should bless me so much.” I can totally identity with that thinking. I have been blessed by God beyond anything I could ever have imagined. When I expressed that feeling to my wife, she in her quiet wisdom simply said it was because of God’s grace. She was absolutely right.

This weekend God showed me the truth of the awesomeness of His grace.

Romans 5:20

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but when sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

I know that apart from God’s grace I have no hope. I am lost and cannot ever hope to obtain forgiveness and eternal life. But God’s grace is more than just what saves us. It is also why God blesses us.

This weekend I was given four great grace gifts. 

Grace Gift #1: I got to hear and see my granddaughter sing at a performance with her Broadway children’s group. They sang a song at the performance from the Lion King called the Circle of Life. I was privileged to see another generation of Byerses and love them and have them love me. But an even greater grace gift was the next morning when my granddaughter stood next to me and sang praises to Jesus. The grace gift was to see my granddaughter use her gift from God to praise Jesus.

Grace Gift #2: I got to sit on the floor and play video games with my grandson in the same way I used to play with my son. It was gracious of God to allow me to build new bonds with my grandson. It was gracious of God to let me spend time with my grandson on his turf and getting to know him in a different.

Grace Gift #3: I got to worship with my daughter-in-law leading people in singing praises to Jesus. I got to see her heart and know that it is focused on Jesus. I prayed for my son to marry a woman who loved Jesus and together they would serve Jesus with great passion. God with overwhelming grace answered that prayer.

Grace Gift #4: I got to sit under the teaching of my son. I don’t listen much (actually not at all) to other preachers or teachers. But I love sitting under my son’s teaching. He loves Jesus and it comes out as he teaches and it comes out as he relates to the faith family that he pastors. I prayed that he would become a man after God’s own heart and again God overwhelmingly answered that request.

Grace is God’s sovereign desire to love us, not based on us but on His choice to love His human creation. It produces salvation as we receive and accept it. It is also why God’s blesses us. Those blessings are not based on our goodness or our being worthy of them or our performance. They are also based on God’s choice to bless us.

I love God’s grace because it is His heart. Grace is who God is and we see it in great depth in the life of Jesus. Grace is the reason God saves us and blesses us.

I know that this is a little shorter than usual. But after spending the weekend with my children and grandchildren I am tired. Grace gives me great joy and comfort, but not much energy.

In Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                      Joe