Grace is getting the good we don't deserve.
“And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.”- 2 Corinthians 9:8
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Floyd Harris gave me the same reply every time I asked him how he was doing. It was his trademark saying: “Better than I deserve!” The first time he said it to me I was confused, so I asked him what he meant. He had a one-word answer. Grace. I have often used the “Floydian” reply myself, and I typically receive the same response that I gave to Floyd.
Even though Floyd shared that concept with me 20 years ago, I finally made grace my One Word for last year. I found out quickly that grace is a simple yet profound word. It was definitely a challenging but rewarding grace walk for 365 days!
Grace is everywhere. Being in the church my entire life, I have been around this word a lot. I memorized verses, sang hymns, heard sermons and read books. I bumped into grace often but rarely took time to unpack it. Yes, I know that grace is God’s lavish favor on undeserving sinners, but grace also redeems me, reforms me and rewards me—even though I don’t deserve it. God revealed to me that grace is not only amazing when we receive it, but it is also eye-popping when we give it.
Grace first needs to be received. Grace can only be experienced if we receive it. It is clear in Ephesians 2:8-9 that it is by grace that we are saved through faith. We don’t deserve to be saved, but it is God’s grace upon us that we can receive salvation. As a teenager, I experienced God’s grace when I surrendered my life to Him. I did absolutely nothing to deserve salvation. Zip. Zero. Nada. However, experiencing the fullness of grace is not a one-time experience at salvation. God’s grace is available to receive everyday. It is hard to swallow the fact that He actually rewards us for our puny efforts to serve and please Him. Plainly put, grace is getting the good we don’t deserve, and God wants us to experience His grace daily because He is good, gracious and generous.
Grace needs to be given. Once we receive and experience grace, we must give it to others. This gets messy, because we usually want to give grace to those who deserve it, not to those who don’t. However, when I extend God’s grace to others, it becomes eye-popping, surprising grace. I have learned that giving God’s grace transforms me in two ways:
Grace changes us and others. Receiving grace is getting what we don’t deserve and giving grace is giving to others what they don’t deserve. Lord, thank you for the grace journey!
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