How can a blog post with a one-word title like “Grace” have enough depth and undisputed merit to warrant such an endeavor? Read on and find out.
What if all the editors gave unmeasured grace to every writer who submitted his or her work? That would be an unkind kindness. Readers everywhere would be deluged with atrocious articles or books, although there might be a spattering of good reading material. Unmeasured grace would not do good to increase the author’s writing skills or the reader’s enjoyment of a good read.
What if reviews gushed on with how great all published books are? Or, what if the reviews did the opposite – tore down every aspect of a book without adding something of value to help the author learn the skills of their trade? Such reviews would be devoid of any grace.
What if critique group members listened with nods and a lot of “uh-huhs” as authors read from their pages? Or, what if they attacked the writer’s piece with the frenzy of sharks at supper-time? Where’s the grace? Where’s the mercy? Where’s the compassion? Where’s the love?
What makes God’s grace so different? So unique? Grace as defined by the Random House College Dictionary is: “The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.” Why is God’s undeserved kindness so important that it is mentioned one-hundred-seventy times in the Bible? (Thirty-nine times in the Old Testament and one-hundred-thirty-one times in the New Testament.)
One reason would be that God shows grace for our good, to build us up – not in pride, but in order that we would grow in our walk of faith, to persevere in our calling.
~ Grace ~
Although grace was manifested in the Old Testament, it was but a candle compared to the brightness of grace that appeared at the birth of Jesus Christ when God became flesh. We call it Christmas. Titus 2:11 says, “For the grace of God appeared bringing salvation to all men.” That’s not to say that all men are saved, but that it is available to all men. However only those who receive Jesus – who believe in His name – will experience this amazing grace from a God whose love is too pure to overlook sin, and His grace is too great that He would abandon us. God’s grace is all-sufficient to all who believe, and His immeasurable grace is too precious to ignore.
So, what is it that makes God’s grace so different? It is that the value of one who receives grace is measured by the worth of the One who gives grace.