Sometimes I get lost in thought; that was the case this morning.
My mind and my heart are filled with the overwhelming, unconditional love of God and His amazing grace.
“ For by His loving-favor you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. 9 It is not given to you because you worked for it. If you could work for it, you would be proud. 10 We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NLV
It’s a gift!
If you’re anything like me, you have spent a good portion of your life trying to measure up. Some of my first thoughts in a new situation would be “what can I do to have them like me” or “how do I make friends and fit in here”.
That carried over into my relationship with God, the Father. I knew me and all my failures and hidden faults and flaws. He knew them better than me yet He chose to forget them. The Father offered me a free gift of forgiveness. He offered me grace.
“For His loving-kindness for those who fear Him is as great as the heavens are high above the earth. 12 He has taken our sins from us as far as the east is from the west. ” Psalm 103:11-12 NLV
There’s a praise song that we sometimes sing, Reckless Love of God, by Cory Abury.
“When I was Your foe, still Your love fought for me
You have been so, so good to me
When I felt no worth, You paid it all for me
You have been so, so kind to me
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God,”
That’s what Paul is saying here to the Christians at Ephesus.
We can’t earn it, we don’t deserve it but Christ has chosen to give His all so that we would be made right with God.
Unearned. Undeserved. Totally forgiven. Grace.