Grace Upon Grace

Grace.
Simple and beautiful.

I was an enemy of God’s, but He loved me anyway.
I was unworthy, but God gave me an indescribable gift.
I deserved death because of my sins, but God sent Jesus to die in my place.
I am imperfect, but God continually reaches out to me with enduring love and forgiveness.

That is grace.
But, not just grace.
It’s grace upon grace.

In the Bible, that phrase was used when the Apostle John wrote about Jesus coming into the world, “For of His fullness we have all received and grace upon grace” (John 1:16).

Grace upon grace is grace without end; not simply a one-time expression; but constant and unrestrained. It’s abundant grace; poured out more and more when it is faithfully accepted.

Simple and beautiful grace can sometimes be bullied in the halls of my heart. I think, “How can God love me when I feel like I disappoint Him everyday?” or “How can God forgive me when I mess up over and over again?” In all of my humanity, it can be hard to understand the immeasurable loving-kindness God has for me. But, it’s important that I try to understand, because as a receiver of grace, I am also required to be a giver of grace–not just to others, but also to myself.

To be reminded of the truth and to better comprehend the grace of God, I turn to His Word. Reading the books of the Old Testament and clearly seeing the way the God cared and provided for His people and then studying the letters and accounts of the New Testament and seeing, even more, the way God cared and provided for His people–helps me to push doubts and denials of His grace from my mind. Then, when I embrace the simple and beautiful grace of God, I can more easily offer the same love and forgiveness to myself and to those around me–even when its not deserved.

I’m eternally thankful for the gift of grace…

…for its leading role in the story of man’s redemption…

…for what it gives me and what it requires of me daily…

…for its continued blessings that truly have no end…
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…for grace upon grace upon grace upon grace….