A Lesson in Grace

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV). Paul understood God's grace. As a persecutor of Christians, Paul stood and watched the stoning of Christian martyr Stephen. He had made his goal to keep people away from learning of the gospel of Christ. Now, as Paul writes to the Ephesian church, Paul is a chief spokesman for God's Kingdom. He has been elevated to a position of prominence in the New Testament church. Deserving death for his actions, Paul is given prominence. Paul understood grace. A subscriber to the morning devotionals painted a picture of grace for me recently. Having one natural child, they have unselfishly opened their home to six other children, whom they have, or are in the process of adopting. Their children, who instantly start to call them "Mom" and "Dad", come from various races and backgrounds. They are truly a "blended", God-made family. One pair of the children is a brother and sister. Because of misbehavior of the boy, the two have been tossed from foster home to foster home all their lives. When my friends started the adoption process they would finally have a real home. Recently the boy began once again to cause problems. The fear this time, however, was that the boy would cause physical harm to others in the household. They knew they had to do something to protect the other children. The boy has since gone through psychiatric tests, which have revealed a mild mental retardation. He has been placed temporarily under the care of doctors. Perhaps now the boy can get the help he needs. The picture of grace, however, came from the little girl. When she learned that her brother would leave the home, she assumed her position would remain as it had all her life. She assumed she would have to leave the house as well. She asked her adoptive parents "Do I have to leave too?" They quickly assured her that she is now home. She never has to leave again, no matter what! Do you think this little girl can understand grace? I would suggest that her concept of grace is far greater than mine will ever be. Isn't that what God did for us all? Deserving nothing but damnation, God, who is rich in mercy, made a way for you and I to live with Him throughout eternity. God made a way for sinners, like us, to come into His presence. God caused His Son to give up royalty, lower Himself to the point of death on the Cross-, so that you and I might be saved. We become a part of the family of God, based solely on what Jesus did at Calvary! That’s real grace!