Colliding with Grace

The moment Jesus took His last breath on the cross as a man; God’s grace collided with the earth. In Jesus’ last breath were the words, “It is finished.” In His death, God’s grace covered every man, woman and child and all of those who were to come. Satan was defeated in that instant. Grace, God’s abundant, endless grace flowed like the floodwaters of Noah in years past and covered all. But this time it was very, very different playing field. It wasn’t about being good enough anymore or obeying enough rules. God and Jesus not only changed the playing field; they changed the rules. Complete and total, Jesus took all sin upon Himself. He filled in the gaps. In that act, grace was all that God could see and Jesus, in His death, became the bridge between God and man. The Way was finished.

God’s grace is so perfect, so complete and so beautiful that it knocks down all possibility that there is something in me that could earn my salvation. See, there is no room for my pride in God’s grace. My pride is laughable in the face of such sacrificial love. There is a cost, small it may be, compared to the unbelievable cost to our Savior to create the Way, but it is there to pay. I have to humble myself and accept who He is and what I am without Him, before I step into the light of His amazing grace. For some of us, that is just too hard to do. He gave me an undeserved pardon so I could have life everlasting with Him. All I have to do is accept what His gift is truly about.

“Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that pardons and will cleanse within, Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all of our sin…” I can tend to think I am not as bad as some who committed terrible crimes, but I must remember that it took the same amount of grace to save us all. Jesus didn’t die “just a little,” to cover my sins, He sacrificed His life to give me life.

Isaiah 49 tells us how special we are to our Lord. "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! 16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” God gives us two gifts, His forgiveness and His forgetfulness. He does not remember our sins. God gives His grace away. He does not intend that I keep His grace to myself. He wants me to learn from Him and love and forgive others following His example. It is important that I share unbelievable the gift I have received and not keep anger or resentment in my heart. Grace should flow through me like living water and be the gift that I continue to give away.