Grace. It’s such a beautiful word. When we hear “grace,” we think of fluid dancers or beautiful deer in a forest, or royalty moving through crowds, showing generosity. We also think of virtue and favor. In fact, Grace is a popular girls’ name, especially among Christians.
However, what does grace truly mean in the sense of today’s verse? As Christians, we know about God’s grace and we mention it all the time—“By the grace of God, we got there safely” or, “By the grace of God, my cancer was healed.” Yet often, we don’t reap all the benefits of grace that we could.
Some people say grace is unmerited favor or not getting what we deserve. To take this a step further, grace means receiving the good things we don’t deserve. Jesus was the living symbol of grace when He died for us—we deserved to be crucified, not Him. He continues to show us His grace today.
Sometimes grace is connected to our human nature, like the way God continues to love us and bless us even when He knows we will sin. Sometimes His grace is an unexpected blessing, like the encouraging phone call you get when you’re sad or the paycheck bonus you received just when your child outgrew his school shoes. Grace can even be “tough love,” such as the gentle but firm scolding you receive from a Christian friend who sees you hurting others with your words and actions.
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