Someone I love very much has told me that to consider how much Jesus loves me seems to be a bit man-centered. In my opinion, it highlights the grace of God. How can a God of infinite majesty and perfection love a person like me without limit and without measure? Only by His grace.
That's why it's been called "Amazing". God's grace is astonishing, unfathomable, incomprehensible. It's hard for us to love the people we most love in this world. Someone disappoints us, and we lash out. Someone cheats us, and we seek vengeance. We like movies that show the victim getting back at the offender, because there's a sense of justice fulfilled when we see vengeance take place.
The reason we have a sense of justice is that we've been created in the image of God, and He is just. He will exact vengeance on His enemies, don't doubt that for a minute. Yet, out of His infinite wisdom, He has chosen to turn some of His enemies into His friends. He has chosen to invite some into His family to be adopted as Sons and Daughters of the King. Not because any were good enough, or deserved a place in the Family of God, but by His Amazing Grace.
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. ~Titus 3:3; But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ~ Titus 3:4-7 ESV
He giveth more grace
when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more
strength when the labors increase,
To added affliction
He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied
trials, His multiplied peace.
His love has no
limit, His grace has no measure,
His power no
boundary known unto men,
For out of His
infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth
and giveth again.
When we have
exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength
has failed ere the day is half-done,
When we reach the
end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father's full
giving is only begun.
As Sons and daughters turned from enemies into friends, should we not therefore show others this great mercy always? It seems we, the recipients of this Amazing Grace don't quite know how to show others the same.
ReplyDeleteMay we apply this to our very lives, to everyone that crosses our path.
Yes, if we are to reflect the Image of Christ in our day to day lives, we ought to be merciful, and gracious, and kind, and patient. We ought to believe the best of the other person and trust them to God, who KNOWS all.
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