Picture of God's Grace

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. (Ephesians 3:7-12 ESV). Paul understood God's grace. As a persecutor of the Church, Paul stood and watched the stoning of 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. The apostle understood grace. Recently I received a wonderful portrait of this grace. A couple, having one natural child, unselfishly opened their home to six other children, whom they now 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 biological brother and sister. Because of misbehavior of the boy, the two had been tossed from foster home to foster home all their lives. It was then that this couple started the adoption process so 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 evaluations which have revealed a mild mental retardation. He has been placed temporarily under the care of doctors. It was hoped that now the boy could get the help he needed. 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 was now home. She never had to leave again, no matter what! Isn't that what God did for us all? Deserving nothing but condemnation, God, who is rich in mercy, made a way for you and I to live with Him throughout eternity. 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 only on what Jesus did at Calvary! Isn’t grace truly amazing!