Discovering God’s Grace

   There was an error in last week’s story about my bicycle. It turns out that instead of fifteen gears, it has three gears on the front wheel and seven on the back. That makes twenty-one combinations of gears, not fifteen! You can see that I’m still a basic beginner when it comes to riding a bike with more than one gear! Some of those combinations never get used at all.

    That probably applies to understanding the depth of God’s grace towards us as well. I’m sure we only discover a tiny portion of it during our spiritual journey here on earth. Unfortunately, many of us fail to experience the fullness of His grace because we rely upon ourselves rather than Him. It’s like using just one gear when there are many more available or owning a bike without ever getting on it!

    So what does the word “grace” mean? One good explanation is to think of it as an acronym for the phrase: “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.” Forgiveness, mercy, favor, benevolence, unconditional love—all are facets of His grace. Jesus was the embodiment of grace, which was culminated by His death on the cross. Just think about these words uttered from the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”(Luke 23:34 NIV) 

    Long before the time of Jesus' birth, Abraham was a man who learned to live by and depend upon God’s grace. At His direction, Abraham pulled up roots and relocated his family to an unfamiliar territory at the age of 75, then lived as a nomad. Throughout his life, God guided, protected and prospered him.

    God had promised that a great nation would come through Abraham, but twenty-five years passed before the birth of his son, Isaac. During that lull time, he and Sarah tried to figure things out on their own by having a child, Ishmael, through Sarah’s servant. But that wasn’t the way God had planned it.  Sarah was 90 and Abraham 100 when Isaac was born!

    Possibly the most difficult act of obedience on Abraham’s part came when God called him to take his son on a three day journey to a mountain and offer him as a sacrifice. Why did God ask that of Abraham and where was His grace then? Those are difficult questions. However, when Isaac questioned him about the animal for the sacrifice, his father replied that God would provide it. He knew that His Lord was benevolent and loving, and trusted in Him completely at that point.

   Just as he was about to sacrifice Isaac, God called out to him. A ram stuck in a thicket became the substitute for Isaac. Abraham named that place, “The Lord Will Provide.” What an amazing relationship he had with God! The further he went not only in his physical journey but also in his spiritual journey of faith, the more God’s grace was revealed to him. Oh to be called the friend of God, like Abraham!

   Dear Father, please help us to learn to walk with you by first taking one step of faith, then another, and another. Thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus, for His sacrifice on the cross and for your grace made available to us as we put our trust in Him. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.” James 2:21-23 NIV