“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8-9
By Shannon Pederson
People often ask where I get the inspiration for the jottings that appear on our web site and as bulletin inserts. Many times, I can’t answer the question because the ideas are formed over quite some time by lots of converging thoughts. This jotting, however, has a very specific origin.
I was watching a program on television recently that showed how people were volunteering their time and material to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. One of the home owners was wearing a T-shirt that said “Grace Wins.” She was a woman of very strong faith and she was obviously a believer in the words displayed on her shirt. I later learned that “Grace Wins” is a Christian song by Matthew Joseph.
She made me think about grace and how it impacts me. Grace. It’s a word that is thrown around a lot, especially among Christians, but what is it? What does the word “grace” mean? By the simplest definition, grace is “unmerited favor” or “unconditional love.”
First, what is “unmerited?” To merit something means to earn it or deserve it. In the Boy Scouts of America, young boys can earn “Merit Badges” by showing that they know how to do something or can explain it to others. Boy Scouts cannot earn these badges unless they have completed the required activities, thus meriting the badge. So “unmerited” then means to receive something that you did not earn or something that you do not deserve.
In the same way “unconditional” means that something is not limited by conditions, such as our good behavior. When you receive grace, you are given something better than what you deserve no matter what your behavior has been.
So how does God show grace to us? God shows grace to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. When He was on the cross, Jesus took all the punishment that we deserved and placed it on Himself. On the cross, Jesus gave us the gift of a relationship with God, something that we cannot earn by ourselves. And, it is certainly something we don’t deserve.
The grace of God is the most beautiful and powerful thing we will ever encounter, but it is also the most difficult concept for us to wrap our minds around. Grace pushes back against our understanding of what is fair and what people deserve. But the message of grace is one that the entire world needs to hear.
“The Grace of God is with you no matter what happens.” Author Unknown
Our pastor in Mesa shared this story to help us better understand grace. A fellow was traveling in the south. He stopped at a mom-and-pop restaurant for breakfast. He ordered eggs, bacon, and toast. He was surprised by a white mass on his plate in addition to what he’d ordered. “what’s this?” he asked. “Grits,” replied the waitress. “I didn’t order grits,” said the traveler. “No matter,” said the waitress, “they just come with everything.” Grace is like grits. It just comes.
In this new year, if we believe that God’s grace greets us and God’s love meets us every day, 2018 will be different – it will be better. Our challenge each day is to return thanks to God for this free gift and pass it on to someone else.
In this new year, if we believe that God’s grace greets us and God’s love meets us every day, 2018 will be different – it will be better. Our challenge each day is to return thanks to God for this free gift and pass it on to someone else.
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 2:1