But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (1 Peter 5:10)

The Incredible Things God Has Done

How is it possible for anyone to measure the grace of God? It is not good form to begin a discussion with a question but when addressing the incredible things God has done there can be no other way to begin. If the ocean were ink and the sky a parchment, time would not allow articulating the many facets of the grace of God. From the creation of man from dust and the love the Creator showed in allowing man to live until the coming of His only begotten Son, the Lord has filled the canvas of man’s history with amazing grace. Adam and Eve disobeyed the command of God and He allowed them to live. The world turned to the wickedness of sin but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. From the beginning of the promise to Abraham and through their turbulent history, Israel received the grace of God time and time again. No other example of saving grace can be found than the day God was nailed to a cross. Two thousand years removed the glory of His grace shines even brighter as the story of the risen Savior resonates in honest hearts seeking hope. Grace becomes personal when we see how God has moved in our lives. He has called us to glory by Christ Jesus giving us an eternal hope that while suffering the pangs of mortal life, a greater reward awaits in death.

God’s grace is immeasurable because He chose to save us. There is nothing we have done that deserves this kind of love. The reality is that all men have done nothing to merit the kind of mercy given by God. How can I repay the Lord for the sacrifice of His Son? Did anyone rush to the cross and take the place of Jesus? His own disciples forsook Him and abandoned Him in His hour of need. The courageous spirit of Peter was crushed under pressure from others denying He knew Jesus of Nazareth. He denied Jesus three times cursing as pride filled his heart. Who stood for Jesus when He needed it most? No one. Jesus Christ took my sin – all of my ugly sins – He took my sin and died on a cross. The nails that pierced His hands were put there because of me. As they bent His legs to nail them to a piece of wood, my sins hammered His flesh to the cross. How am I supposed to pay this kind of debt? Grace is God’s acknowledgement that we cannot repay Him yet He forgives us. Incredible.

Sin is a powerful enemy. We struggle against the temptations of the flesh and eye and the overwhelming pride of life. There are days of euphoria when we are mighty against the evil hand of Satan. Sadly, the days of defeat are often as we fall victim to his devices. We sin in anger, lust, pride, covetousness and a hosts of ills that plague the spirit of man and through repentance God forgives us time and time again – and then He does it all over again. How can we measure the longsuffering of the Lord when we try so hard to pull ourselves together and still fail? Sin may not have its victory but it will win some battles. It is in those battles that we lose so horribly that God’s grace shines brighter. Humble hearts filled with regret seek the cleansing of His hand and He grants it. Incredible.

God’s grace is the joy of living a Christian life. There will be days of joy and there will be days of defeat. It is hard to understand the forgiveness of God and why He continues to grant a rebellious people (that is you and me) His mercy. Every time sin overtakes us and we repent the grace of God becomes larger. He is the God of all grace because there is nothing to measure against what He does. Eternal glory is promised to all His people and that is the joy of knowing His grace. There may be suffering in this life for a little while and then the happiness of experiencing the final act of grace when God allows us to live with Him in eternal life. Grace is found in Jesus Christ and blesses our lives while here on earth. Seeing grace fulfilled is when we hear those wonderful words of our Lord: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter in to the joy of your Lord.” Incredible.