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Grace is "a showing of kindness, a favor done without expectation of return, an act of mercy."

I'm sure most of us have probably experienced grace at some point in our lives. Someone has shown us kindness. Someone has done us a favor without expecting anything in return. Someone has been merciful toward us.

As human beings we all have a capacity for grace. But no one has ever come close to expressing the grace that God has shown us. The grace we show others is but a drop in the ocean when compared to the amazing grace of God!

All of God's qualities are wrapped up in His Grace: His Holiness, His Truth, His Righteousness, His Justice, His Goodness, His Love, His Mercy. God's unending grace flowed through Christ to all of us.

I think grace is one of the hardest concepts to grasp and yet it is pivotal in having a true relationship with God.

Do you feel unworthy of God's love? Do you ever feel like He could never love you because of the things you've done or the thoughts you've had?

Grace is God's love freely offered to us. Emphasis on the word "freely." This is the key to grace. We can do nothing to earn it. Nothing! Nor does it have anything to do with deserving it. We can do neither. It is a gift… to be accepted. A gift that once accepted and embraced, allows us to grow.

The grace of God is what enables us to grow in Christ, not by following the teachings which are fleshly and are more concerned about what you put in your mouth; rather it is the truth of Christ and His word which you put in your heart by His grace.

The better we understand God's grace to us, the more thankful we will become, and the less pride we will take in our own accomplishments. We are being spared what we justly deserved, and are freely receiving something we are entirely unworthy of, simply because our God is a gracious God and it is His will to save us.

We are receiving the greatest gift of all; the greatest gift ever given has been lavished upon us by our infinitely gracious heavenly Father. Any of our good acts are not because of our own goodness, but are because of God's gracious creative work within us. There is no room for boasting from those who have seen God's grace.

Because we are thankful, and because we love the one who gave so freely to us, we need to be imitators of him. We need to graciously forgive the wrongs done to us and the debts owed to us, because we have been graciously forgiven by God (Ephesians 4:32). We are to do good and lend to others even when we know we will never receive anything in return (not even a thanks) for our generosity.
We, of all people, should be the most free with our giving, for we are to be the sort who not only give to those who give back to us in return, but also to those who mistreat us, or who use us merely for their own gain.

How difficult that is! Our natural instinct is to protect ourselves from being used and abused.

Have you ever been hurt by another person? Has someone ever let you down, disappointed you, or deserted you? What has been your response? Do you want to hurt them back? Do you want to withdraw from the world in an effort to protect yourself? Do you tell yourself you're never going to trust another person again for fear of getting hurt again?

I have been hurt before. I have been let down, disappointed and deserted. But I've also hurt others. I know I've let others down, disappointed then and perhaps even deserted them. I've done and said all these things before. I am human. I make mistakes. We are all human. We all make mistakes. We've been on the receiving end as well as the giving end of this spectrum. Regardless of what side you are on… it hurts.

So what do you do with the pain? Do you hold it inside and let it eat at you till it makes you sick? Or do you choose grace and forgiveness?

When we have some inkling of what we have been given--of the grace we have received from the God of all grace--how can we be stingy in the grace and forgiveness we extend to others? God prepared the works beforehand, and we have been graciously created in Christ Jesus to do them.

I ask you this question… what have you done with the grace God has extended to you?

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

The First Sin