Day 2

Grace.

Grace. It’s one of those words you might hear Christians use a lot right? It might be a word that confuses you though. We insert it into passing conversation and small talk as if it’s somehow a menial or mundane topic in our faith. In reality grace is one of the most pivotal realities to grasp in our walk with Jesus. Grace can be incredibly difficult to comprehend and understand in a short time, but that’s only because our God and his love and his sacrifice so exceeds what we could imagine or hope to learn. That sounds hopeless but I urge you, never give up on understanding what grace means in your experience with our Heavenly Father.

The Bible really helps encompass what grace can mean to you as a Jesus Follower:

In Romans 8:1-2, Paul writes these words… So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.

Paul is saying that because of the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross He paid the ultimate price for the sins of humanity. He has removed our separation from Him that we would experience otherwise. That means that Jesus has paid the price for yesterday’s sins, today’s sins, and tomorrow’s sins in full. Now, here’s where things get murky. A lot of people read that and they think wow, that means I can keep on living my same old sinful life and Jesus just covers it all with some kind of divine credit card?! 

But what this should mean for us is wow, my heavenly Father paid the price for my very existence and because of His sacrifice I am now compelled to live a life that glorifies who He is, not only for me, but for everyone that I encounter! And yes, we could just keep on living with the same sinful patterns, and in all honesty we will always mess up, we will always sin, we will always fall short. However, God and His grace will still be there with open arms. 

Imagine a home, where the child is missing from that household. Would the parents sleep, knowing their child is missing? Of course not, they are in a constant state of readiness for the homecoming of that child. Did you know God is a loving father who wants all of his kids to come home? No matter how far you’ve wandered, the money you’ve spent, the mistakes you’ve made, he’s waiting at home for you ready, hoping that one day you’ll walk through the door.

On the night before He was crucified Jesus told his disciples, There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?" -John 14:2. The next day he would pay the ultimate price, and the doors of the Father’s house would swing wide open; ready to welcome in anyone who would come.

Grace is the reality that God is just waiting for you to come home to him. Scripture says that this earth is not our true home, but if we’re still here, we may as well extend the grace we’ve received to all people. A home can only truly be enjoyed, when all have arrived. You have been received grace freely, so you can give it freely.