The Gift

I apologize for not writing one of these last night. We had such a busy day. I opened my Bible, but before I got to a verse I wanted to write about, I passed out.

Eph 2:4-9 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is an amazing thing when you think about it. God saw us when we were lost in our sin. When we were hiding in our rooms high on some drug, when we were sitting in a gutter somewhere drunken and dirty, when we were cheating on our spouse, when we were cursing His name, God saw us. Not only did He see us, but He loved us. Rather, He loves us. It didn't matter to God what we were doing, He loved us anyway. Unconditional love is a rare feeling that nobody in this world truly has. Everyone has an "I love you unless...." Sometimes it may take a lot to make us to stop loving, but there's something that will break us if just for a little while. We can't break God.

For the lost in the world who refuse to let Jesus come in your lives because you feel you are unworthy, the truth is, you are unworthy. We are all unworthy of the love of God. We deserve Hell, but God has abundant grace. Grace is a free gift from the master that we all can receive if we are only willing to accept it. Along with this grace comes joy, freedom, and peace. God offers eternal life and eternal happiness to everyone willing to take it.

We cannot do anything to become worthy of that grace He gives. If you read the last part of that passage, if God allows us to buy grace, we can brag and puff ourselves up with pride about it. Being a good person, and working hard doesn't get you into Heaven. It's faith in God alone.

We often times overlook the song "Amazing Grace" because it is up there in age. We tend to lean more towards contemporary. But look at the lyrics every now and then to remind you where you came from. It's amazing grace because I was such a wretch lost in this world killing myself with my wickedness, but God reached down and pulled me out of it. He saved me from death, from darkness and despair, and placed me on the path of joy and light. I was lost and had no purpose in life, but God gave me direction. I was blind, and could not understand the truth about how to be happy, or how to live my life, but God opened my eyes and I can see clearly.

I thank God for his amazing grace.