(The Wonder of Grace)
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. (Psalm 111:2 NLT)
By Fr. Chris Lee OFR
Imagine logging in to your bank account to check the balance and discovering that a million dollars has ben deposited into your account!! You call the bank immediately thinking there has been a glitch, or mistake. The bank manager assures you that it is NOT a mistake, and a generous benefactor has deposited the money with intent to sustain you for the rest of your life! How is this possible? I can’t pay this back! I don’t deserve this! These would all be our common responses to such a gift. Talk about shock and awe, we might be moved to tears, or elated with inexpressible joy! Imagine the gratitude we would feel toward this generous benefactor.
Immediately our minds think this is too good to be true, and could never happen to me. Perhaps in the human realm it won’t, but in the heavenly realm it already has! This benefactor’s name is Jesus, and the million-dollar gift is GRACE. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! We should each take time to ponder them. “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!” (Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT) We should all be awe-struck by the love of God poured out in this most wonderous gift.
We have been chosen, we are wanted, we are desired by God to be the objects of his amazing love. Christ has deposited his abundance in our accounts and erased our debt. “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT) Even more than this, there is NO expectation of ever paying it back! He only askes that we enjoy the freedom this gift brings, use it wisely, and always remember who gave it. Thank you, Jesus, lol!
I have received many gifts throughout the years. Some have made a dramatic impact on me. Several of them stand out from others. A couple of them have left me speechless. But nothing, and I mean nothing, even compares to the wonder of the cross. That Jesus Christ would give me eternal life, adoption into His family, and sustain me all the days of my life and beyond, through His grace. This often leaves me speechless and in complete awe. “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!” (2 Corinthians 9:15 NLT)
Digging Deeper:
- Name some of the stand-out gifts you have received. How have you used them?
- Take some time to consider God’s grace gift. How have you used it?