Wonderful Beautiful Grace

Luke 2:8-14 says, “8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.’”

What an object of grace! I remember my friends and I having conversations about the grace of God. When Adam sinned, he condemned all men to die, but Christ came so that we may have life, and life abundantly. The fact that He came and saved those He willed was an amazing act of grace.

One thing I never understood was grace. I guess I understood the concept, but I didn’t rest in it. My whole life, I feel like the things I have done were to make those around me proud. However, God does not ask for our perfection, because He loves us. He didn’t die for the perfect men of Christ, but He died for the weak, the lame, the losers, the sinners, the adulterers, and the slaves of sin.

This never made sense to me, so I kept running from God’s grace to try to earn His favor by my righteousness. But looking at that sentence alone, how silly does that sound? Last night, I had gotten in trouble because of some silly mistakes I had previously made. My father punished me, but also extended me grace. I told him that I felt like he was never proud, and in return, I realized that I was never satisfied.

I remember understanding this while I was lying down on his floor, with my hands over my face and tears falling from my eyes. I just didn’t understand why my dad would love someone as disobedient as me, and it took the stance of someone with no pride to understand. I was willing to accept the grace because I understood that I had nothing else to hold on to.

We are caught in God’s grace, but I know that it feels like I am trying to please Him to earn His favor. I told my dad it was like I was in a soccer game. I was running around and trying so hard, while God was on the sidelines watching me, and it was my job to make Him happy with the way I was playing.

Romans 6:15 says that we are no longer under the law, but under grace. If this is true, then God has already accepted us. He has already loved us. If you feel like you’re running, playing a game of soccer, reading your Bible, or even trying to pray to earn God’s favor, then stop. You already have it. -  Forsake All