Gracious!

All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. (Psalm 145:10-13 ESV).

God is gracious. Our reading today indicates the depth of this characteristic about God. He is infinitely inclined to spare the guilty. If mercy is not getting what we do deserve (damnation), grace is getting what we don’t deserve (eternal life). “As mercy is God’s goodness confronting human misery and guilt,” Tozer writes, “so grace is His goodness directed toward human debt and demerit. It is by his grace that God imputes merit where none previously existed and declares no debt to be where one had been before.” Because grace is a part of who God is and not just an action he bestows, it means we can trust that grace is eternal. His grace is something we do not earn or lose. The Apostle Paul writes, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). His grace is also sovereign. “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious” (Exodus 33:19). When talking about the grace of God, theologians will often differentiate between God’s common grace and his saving grace. Christianity Today writer Patrick Mabilog writes this about the difference. “His common grace is a gift to all of mankind. It is the reason that everyone – Christian or non-Christian - enjoys the blessings of life, provision and abundance (cf. Matthew 5:45). While all of humanity benefits from common grace, only those who are called to be children of God and put their faith in Christ receive saving grace. This is what results in our sanctification and our glorification of God, that we might live for him and enjoy him for all eternity. The meme I’ve chosen to accompany today’s devotional means a great deal to me, especially during those times when the journey seems to be too difficult to continue. God really is the only one who can make the valley of trouble the door of hope. It can be your hope as well. Regardless of how difficult life may have become, fall back into the arms of God and know that he is infinitely gracious. His desire forever is to save you and deliver you safely to your eternal, perfect home!