Amazing Grace

I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Galatians 2:21)

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now I'm found,

Was blind, but now I see!

Amazing Grace was one of the first hymns I memorized as a child. Looking around the sanctuary of my childhood church I noticed that most of the adults around me were singing it by heart, while I struggled to follow along in the hymnal. We sang that particular hymn frequently, and I decided I’d rather not bother with the seemingly larger-than-life book of songs. I set out to memorize each verse, and to my mother’s amazement I did! 

Of course I didn’t grasp what the song meant until a little later in life, and it wasn’t until I reached adulthood and “real” life that I truly understood the gift of grace.

Society tells us that everything worth having is earned through hard work, and very little is actually free. I say it to our kids all the time: “Waldsteins are winners not whiners!” As parents we expect our children to complete their chores in a timely manner (preferably without whining!), but we don’t expect them to earn a place in our hearts by working their fingers to the bone around the house. We want to give our kids good things just because they’re ours, and God feels the same about us.

By definition grace is “the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.” It seems too good to be true, doesn’t it? In a world where everything worth having is earned through hard work, true grace feels like a trick. What’s the catch? Where are the strings? The Good News is that there is no catch, and there are no strings! 

Nothing we do can possibly earn God’s favor, and it cheapens His gift when we try. We each have our own lists of things to accomplish: if I say this many prayers, if I give this much money to the church, if I volunteer this many hours, then God and everyone else will see how great I am! To receive His gift of grace all we need to do is lay down our own agenda, and accept it.

I’ll argue that there is value in hard work, but God in his wisdom has given us the most amazing gift of grace. Taking hold of grace means letting go of the need to impress and living a life mirroring Christ’s own.

We try out for the team, we audition for the play, we interview for that dream job, and we work hard to earn our paychecks. Is there an area of your life where you struggle to lay down your agenda and accept His grace?

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