He Gives Greater Grace

18 Oct He Gives Greater Grace

Have you ever wondered what grace is?  Or did you just take the term at face value? Use context clues? Perhaps, you heard an elder utter, “it was only by the grace of God!” or in more recent years, you’ve been told to “give yourself grace”.

When I really think about it, I think the word ‘grace’ is a widely over-used and under-understood term. I’ve been using the word ‘grace’ for a long time, but when I received it as an answer to a prayer that I had been praying, I realized that I needed a deeper understanding of it.

A quick back story: 

I had been in prayer about how to better communicate with my husband when I was frustrated. It was in a ‘Jesus, take the wheel!’ moment.  I felt like I was continuously saying the wrong things amid disagreements.  And, if you know me personally, then you know that my style of communication is often direct and to the point and if you’re also married, then you know, that this approach doesn’t always work in disagreements. 

So, do you want to know what God told me when he answered my question? 

He told me, to “give him grace. The kind of grace, I give you.” 

Say what, now? Grace? God is this your final answer?!?!

Women of Judah, I was not expecting that answer! Actually, at that moment, I felt like a toddler being told to eat my vegetables before I could have a cup of juice. But, in order to be truly obedient, I needed to make sure that I really understood what grace is/was.

So, I started with the dictionary. 

The Meriam-Webster dictionary defines grace as:

1.    the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings,
2.    the refinement of movement,
3.    courteous goodwill,
4.    extended period granted as a special favor,
5.    a short prayer of thanks said before or after a meal, and
6.    a form of description or address for royalty.

I don’t know about you, but when I read those descriptions and think about what I already know about God, I begin to get excited!

Think about it:
 
1.    Grace is the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

I don’t know about you, but I like FREE stuff and I especially like things that do not have strings attached to them.

Grace is the free, favor (kindness, approval, service) of God, that is shown to us in blessings.  It is given to us when we don’t deserve it and it is never held against us.

2.    Grace is the refinement of movement.

When I read ‘the refinement of movement’ I immediately start to think of the gracefulness of a ballerina or when someone seamlessly draws a straight line. But, the refinement of a straight line, drawn crooked, would only happen by erasing it and trying again.

I think God’s grace operates like that, we draw crooked lines and then God comes along and erases them, to give us a chance to try again. 

Grace is the wiping away of your mistakes, and then the opportunity to try again, when you KNOW you messed up.

3.    Grace is courteous goodwill.

The word association with Goodwill probably leads you to think of the Goodwill stores. 
Well, fun fact: Goodwill isn’t just a chain of stores with pre-owned merchandise. It is also known for assisting people through a variety of employment placement services, job training programs, and other community-based services.

Grace works like that, too! It is the help you need to develop into what you’re called to serve as and in. 

4.    Grace is an extended period granted as a special favor.

Extended periods granted as special favors are generally for things that are going to be submitted beyond their due date, like a bill that is paid late, or a paper that is turned in late to school. 

Grace is the extended provision or space to continue, without penalty.

5.    Grace is a short prayer of thanks said before or after a meal.

We were taught that it is appropriate to give thanks and praise to God for our meals.

Before we all got so busy, meals were created in unity with loving hands and consumed at tables with our loved ones. For this act, we would say a word of grace. Nowadays, we take the plentifulness of food for granted. In an earlier time, food was a gift that sustained and nourished us. God is the ultimate creator of it all, providing everything that we eat.

Therefore, our food is “grace”.

Grace is the very thing that sustains, provides nourishment for and keeps us alive (2 Tim. 2:1; Heb. 13:9)

6.    Grace a form of description or address for royalty.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:9 “we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood!” and Revelation 1:6 says that Christ has “made us kings and priests unto God.” Did you know that we are kings (and queens)?

This means you can refer to yourself as “grace!” 

Grace is how you should refer to yourself because you were chosen by God.

The grace of God is just………WOW!

In fact, there’s a song that calls it “Amazing Grace” and now, I understand why. 

God’s grace defies man’s logic and reason. There is no scorecard determining who should receive it and who shouldn’t. We’re all His children and it is by grace we have been saved, through faith, not by works, but for good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). That includes me, it includes you, my husband and that person (or the people) that you don’t like.  

God doesn’t play by rules. There’s enough grace for us all and enough grace for every sin.