Today I wish to tell you a story I told you last year in this blog because it’s a true story that has had a profound impact on my life. I share it again with you because my hope and my prayer is that this story will inspire you to spend time throughout the day deeply aware of the Presence of God.
So this is a story about the Grace of God. And remember this: the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ is INFINITE!
In other words, God’s Grace Tank never runs out! GOD IS INFINITELY GRACIOUS! And not only is God infinitely gracious, but God also knows everything we want in life and — most importantly — God knows everything we need. And this distinction is important because THE GRACE OF GOD IS GOD GIVING US WHAT WE NEED — NOT WHAT WE WANT!
God comes into our lives and reveals Himself to us when we least expect it! So HOPE in Him more than you have ever done! Hope in the infinitely gracious God! Hope in Our Lord Jesus Christ who gives us what we need, not what we deserve. And THANK the Lord for His infinite Grace because the Grace of God is not something He gives you but the Grace of God is HIMSELF! He comes into our life, He is Present constantly in our life, to give to us what we need, especially when we least expect Him. So all the more we should live our life in His Holy Presence!
Dear friends, God’s Grace is God’s “unmerited favor.” Is it not one of the most amazing experiences to see and to feel someone give grace? I can say this about grace: the people who have influenced me the most in my life, the people with who God has blessed me most deeply — they are the people of grace who gave grace to others in unforgettable ways.
When I was just 19 years old and living alone in Maine, working in a wooden boat yard working as a brand new apprentice, I remember when I was the recipient of the most enormous, life-changing grace. God came into my life through a friend, Gary, and in the most unexpected way! I came to work at the boat yard in the morning hearing the boss — the owner of the boatyard — swearing and cursing at perhaps the best and most skilled boatbuilder in the yard. I froze with the entrance door ajar and listened to the owner chastise him time and time again, until he spit and stormed out of the boatyard. When he stormed through the door that I held ajar he looked at me as if he wanted to pull the trigger on a shotgun.
When I made my way to the back of the boatyard to find my friend and co-worker, he simply looked at me and spoke these words quietly: “Paul, last night before you left at the end of the day, you accidentally drove 3 bars of solid bronze, one-half inch solid rod, down through the hull of the boat, leaving three big holes through the bottom of the boat. I knew you would be fired on the spot, so I took the blame, knowing that the boss will never fire me. Come, I’ll show you how we can fix these.”
When I think of grace, dear friends, I remember this moment with incredible detail.
My friend, Gary, showed me what God does every single day of your life and my life.
He did it in the most amazing way on the Cross and in the empty tomb. God gives us what we need — not what we deserve. And that day in the boat yard my friend did just that for me — he gave me what I needed, not what I deserved. And so instead of being fired, I was able to continue to work!
Pray now that you will be givers of grace. And give God — and others — your gracious gratitude!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” Ephesians 2:8.
“But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” Romans 11:6.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” Titus 2:11.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4:16.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” 1 Corinthians 15:10.
“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” John 1:16.
“Be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus” 2 Timothy 2:1.
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