Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Beautiful Grace Revealed


Lela Long wrote, “Jesus is the Sweetest Name I know”.  The title sounds connected to John Newton’s “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.”  John Newton wrote another hymn with a similar title, “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds.”  There seems to be a lot of “sweetness” in the air.  That fragrant smell all revolves around “The wonderful grace of Jesus”.

Jesus Christ is the grace of God revealed.  The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus was full of grace and truth.  John also tells us that the Law came by Moses but grace and truth come through Jesus Christ.  Paul’s benediction in II Corinthians 13 says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  Grace and Christ are inseparable. 

How does that impact us?  How does this truth affect our lives?  Is it “stuffy doctrine” or is it something I can peacefully go to sleep on?  Can it help me when my boss yells at me for a mistake I didn’t make?  Can it help me when my boss yells at me for a mistake I did make?  Can it help my family?  Can it help my relationship with others?  Can it make my relationship with my dog any better?  Yes, it does impact us.  Yes, it does impact our lives.  Yes, it is something we can sleep peacefully on.  Yes, it can make a difference in all areas of our lives. 

Jesus Christ is alive.  He is risen from the dead.  Every day He is with those who love Him.  He is the all powerful God.  He is the strength of this life and the hope of the next.  He is the fullness of the measure of the grace of God.  Therefore He is able to impact us by and with His grace at all times and in all situations.  It is not idle doctrine; it is living, active, impacting power of the grace of God.  It makes the dead alive.  It makes the living into a new creature of grace to demonstrate the glory of God’s love to all they encounter.  It is meaningful on a grander scale than we can imagine. 

This is the power of grace. It is the power of the risen Christ within us. It is the power of the living Christ manifesting the fullness of His grace through us.  This is the joy of living in the grace of God.  This is the point of this blog.  This is daily living in daily grace.  As Paul would say, “Grace to you.” 

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