A Most Extravagant Grace

Good morning Trinity Tribe,

I hope you are well this day! I have dropped the newsletters off at the Post Office, so I am in a great mood. We also had a wonderful and meaningful time at Bible study today. Trinity is a great place to talk about how we work on our faith and keep trying to live it out day by day.

I have been thinking about divine grace a lot this week with the beginning of Advent. If humanity hadn't sinned, we wouldn't need divine grace at all. However, we do have free will, therefore we choose to turn away from God. Sometimes that turning away isn't intentional in that we say to ourselves, "I will lie to my friend today so that I can turn away from God." For me, at least, it doesn't work like that. I choose to bite Mark's head off about something or skip doing my morning devotional or whatever the sin of the moment is for a different reason. I bite his head off because I am worried about something and didn't get enough sleep and didn't take a deep breath before I spoke, for example. I didn't think about God in the equation at all. And that is the problem. When we sin, it has eternal consequences. Whenever we sin, we turn away from God. We don't cheat on our taxes or drive too fast or drink too much to intentionally hurt our relationship with God, but that is the eternal consequence of those sinning ways.

Therefore, no matter how hard we try to be perfect and live according to God's teachings, we are going to sin. Therefore, God's extravagant grace is needed. No matter what we do, we can choose to receive grace. God always offers it, no matter how much we sin. We can turn away from God, but we can also turn toward God. God continually reaches out to us in love, we must merely choose to accept it. Becoming human and walking and talking and living was God's way to show us how much love God has for us. Jesus embodies love and grace.

Grace isn't a one time thing like a vaccine against sin. Grace is constant. Grace is extravagant. God is always working on us to give us a different life. We can do little or nothing on our own. But, through God, all things are possible. We don't just get "saved" once and then we are good…sin continues to haunt us. Receiving and responding to God's extravagant grace is a daily process. We continually awaken to God's work within us…we continually see God's work in the world…we continually feel God's hand guiding us…we continually turn towards God's love…we continually love God in response. Through grace we are transformed from what we were in sin to what we will be in Christ.

Verses 1 and 5 of "And Can It Be," a beautiful Wesley hymn help me understand this wonderful gift we receive in Jesus.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.