Day 46
Super-Lavish Grace!
It’s amazing to me now how I once thought of God as stingy.
I saw Him as a Zeus-like grandfather sitting on the clouds and only reluctantly releasing His blessings upon those He deemed worthy.
But when grace revolutionized my life, my perspective changed. I hope you see now that the Bible describes God as having limitless generosity, and that generosity is summed up in the word grace. It’s used 150 times in the New Testament to describe God’s favor bestowed on undeserving people — people like you and me!
The Bible says we’re saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8), and by grace we stand through life’s difficulties (Romans 5:2). Jesus is described as “full of grace”
(John 1:14) and the one who gave us “grace upon grace”
(John 1:16). Paul talked about God’s “abundant grace”
(Romans 5:17), and “surpassing grace”
(2 Corinthians 9:14). Peter called it “multifaceted”
grace (1 Peter 4:10), the literal meaning of the Greek word poikilos.
The super-lavish nature of grace really comes home in Second Corinthians:
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you may abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8
That one verse summarizes everything you need to know about the whole arc of grace: God provides it to begin with; and God continues to give all the grace you need at all times, so that you overflow with grace to others through your good works! You truly are immersed in grace!
Realizing the extravagant riches of God’s grace can motivate and uplift you every day!
The famous London preacher Charles Spurgeon rode home one night after a hard day’s work feeling exhausted and discouraged. Then he thought of the verse, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
(2 Corinthians 12:9)
He said that immediately into his mind came the picture of a tiny fish in the mighty Thames River, afraid of drinking too many pints of water lest the river be drained. Then Father Thames says to him, “Drink away, little fish. My stream is sufficient for you.”
Then he thought of himself as a tiny mouse in a massive grain silo in Joseph’s Egypt. And Joseph says to him, “Cheer up, little mouse. My granaries are sufficient for you.”
Finally he thought of a man exercising, dreading that his breathing will exhaust the oxygen in the atmosphere. But the Creator’s voice booms out of heaven, “Breathe away, oh man, and fill your lungs. My atmosphere is sufficient for you!” (Spurgeon story adapted from John MacArthur, Our Sufficiency in Christ)
I hope you let yourself breathe in, feast on, bathe in, the lavish riches of God’s grace that are poured out on you every minute! Grace is something in which you are meant to luxuriate!
What difference will it make in your life if you believe God is lavish with His grace?
Thank God for His lavish grace. Think of some specific ways He shows grace to you each day!
