Okay, now that we've got the bad news out of the way, let's talk about the good stuff.
Grace.
Sufficient. Abundant. Incomparable. Saving. Amazing.
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
For whatever reason this verse made me think of those Verizon commercials in which that spectacled dude keeps asking, "can you hear me now?" in a variety of different locations. Except, we're asking, "Is Your grace enough now?... How about now? What if _______ happens; is it still sufficient?" And the answer is always, "Yes."
God's grace is more than sufficient; it is abundant! It is MORE than enough.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Sometimes I wonder if God has a bunch of storage areas with different gates that He opens when He needs to pour out "something" onto people. There's the floodgates, the fireandbrimstonegates, the blessingsgates and of course, the gracegates. (I'm sure there are more, but I'm not clever enough to think of them at this moment.)
In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. (Ephesians 1:7-8)
We've had some pretty awesome Christmases over the years. There's always lots of laughter and great family time The piles of presents are huge. And to top it off, we eat tons of delicious food throughout the holiday! I think God's grace is kind of like that. God isn't satisfied with adequate. He's not even cool with more than enough. He wants to lavish us with His grace.
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.(Ephesians 2:4-7)
I read an awesome quote once. I don't remember who said it, but it goes something like, "Jesus didn't come to make bad people good; He came to make dead people live." That has really stuck with me, because that's exactly what God's grace does! It raises people from the dead. There is nothing else in this world - or any other - that can compare to the saving power of grace.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. (Titus 2:11)
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8)
God has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. (2 Timothy 1:9)
The best part about being saved by grace is that I don't get to take any credit for it. (Whew! Talk about a load off my shoulders!) It is the gift of God! Plus, I don't have to DO certain things to keep that salvation. The Bible doesn't say, "For it is by grace and baptism and tithes and church attendance and all sorts of good works that you have been saved through faith." Nope. Just grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. (Acts 16:31)
If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9-10)
Grace is indeed amazing.
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