Thursday, May 19, 2016

Comprehensive Grace Part 2

In the 12 century Bernard of Clairvaux wrote these lines which are now part of the hymn “Wide Open Are Your Hands”: “Open wide your arms, a fallen world embrace, to win to love and endless rest our wayward human race.  Lord, I am sad and poor, but boundless is your grace; give me the soul transforming joy for which I seek your face.”  Bernard was totally captivated in this hymn with the grace of God.  The boundlessness of God’s grace should indeed captivate every redeemed heart and mind.
A few years ago we had a very wet summer.  A friend of ours had her basement wall cave in due to the excessive hydraulic pressure.  I asked if her insurance covered it.  The sad answer was that it did not.  Comprehensive insurance isn’t always very comprehensive.  I asked our insurance agent if we were covered.  We were not.  Now we are, but it cost us extra to do so.  Our insurance is now more comprehensive, but I am sure there will be holes in it that we will only find out in a catastrophe.  It is sad to expect something and then to discover that it isn’t really covered after all.
That does not happen with God.  His grace is boundless.  It is comprehensive.  His grace covers all.  If we honestly assess how much we had offended God before we came to Him as Savior, we would realize that we had a debt too big to pay.  If we honestly assess how much we have offended the laws of God since we came to Him as Savior we would only discover our utter unworthiness to still be called His child.  But God’s grace is comprehensive.  It covers all.  It forgets our past, forgives our present and forecasts our future hope with Him in heaven for eternity. 

Bernard’s response to this boundless grace was a heartfelt cry to have his whole mind and heart caught up daily into the acute awareness of God.  In response to this boundless grace Bernard offered up the greatest sacrifice he could give – himself.  Meditate today on the last lines of this great hymn that extols God’s boundless grace.  “Draw all my mind and heart up to your throne on high.  And let your sacred cross exalt my spirit to the sky.  To these, Your mighty hands, my spirit I resign.  In life I live alone to you; in death am yours alone.”  Thanks be to God for grace that covers us so comprehensively and rightly deserves all our sacrifice. 


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