You may remember that earlier this year I published a book of 42 daily devotions on Romans 12, inspiring us to live a passionate life for Jesus!
As we think about the challenging times we’re in, I wanted to share an extract with you as I looked at the subject of God’s grace (Romans 12:3). It feels like we all need to slow down and swim in the boundless depths of God’s grace right now. Here’s why…
Psalm 103:8 reminds us that ‘the Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.’ This word ‘grace’ is rich in meaning and Paul (the writer of Romans 12) could simply never get over the wonders of God’s grace. So what does it mean?
Grace means God’s loving-kindness – a sacrificial, servant-hearted love that motivates us to do something good for someone else. That’s what Jesus is like. He prays for people – heals people – feeds people – listens to people – weeps with people – saves people. And that’s just for starters?
Grace also means God’s undeserved favour – where God does wonderful things for us – like forgiving us – despite the fact that we don’t deserve it. That’s radical, counter-cultural, powerful, and absolutely beautiful – and that’s what Jesus is like.
Finally, grace means God’s excessive generosity – going the extra mile and then some more; for example, sending His Son to die for us on the cross. The cross is the ultimate evidence of God’s grace – His loving kindness, undeserved favour, excessive generosity all bundled together – towards us.
I pray that you’ll be bowled over the grace of God today, whatever you’re facing. May you experience the loving-kindness, the undeserved favour, and the excessive generosity of God. And may that grace overflow from you into the lives of everyone you meet.
