Amazing Grace

"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7)

For us who stand under the disapproval of God, who by sin lie under sentence of God's eternal, everlasting displeasure and banishment, grace is an incomprehensibly immense and over-whelming plenitude of kindness and goodness. If we could only remember it, we wouldn't have to be played with and entertained so much. If we could only remember the grace of God toward us who have nothing but demerit, we would be over-whelmed by is incomprehensibly immense attribute, so vast, so huge, that nobody can ever grasp it or hope to understand it.

Would God have put up with us this long if He had only a limited amount of grace? If He had only a limited amount of anything, He wouldn't be God.

God's immensity, God's infinitude must mean that the grace of God must always be immeasurably full. We sing, "Amazing Grace" - why, of course it's amazing! How can we comprehend the fullness of the grace of God?

Lord, how amazing it is that Your grace extends infinitely beyond the depths of my sin. May I remember that as I go about my day. Amen

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That's Just the Way God Is

"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." (Jude 6)

There are two ways to think about the grace of God: One is to look at yourself and see how sinful you were and say, "God's grace must be vast - it must be huge as space to forgive such a sinner as I am." That's one way and that's a good way - and probably that's the most popular way.

But there's another way to think of the grace of God. Think of it as the way God is - God being like God. And when God shows grace to a sinner He isn't being dramatic; He's acting like God. He'll never act any other way but like God. On the other hand, when that man whom justice has condemned turns back on the grace of God in Christ and refuses to allow himself to be rescued, then the time comes when God must judge the man. And when God judges the man He acts like Himself in judging the man. When God shows love to the human race He acts like Himself. When God shows judgment to "the angels which kept not their first estate", He acts like Himself.

Always God acts in conformity with the fullness of His own wholly perfect, symmetrical nature.

Father, I'm thankful that You always act like Yourself - with grace and justice. Your constancy produces great peace within me. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~