Monday Meditations ~ Grace

Author's Note: Everyone being off today totally threw my schedule off...hence the late post. Anyhow, I decided to start each week off right with Monday Meditations. This is where I will choose either a Bible Scripture or biblical subject to meditate on for the day or week. Comments are, as always, welcome and encouraged. Let's get a good discussion going!


Here's my favorite definition of grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. (you can find more definitions here)


What does grace mean to me? Without God's grace, well, I would be going to hell in a handmade hand-basket. Romans 3:23 says, that "we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 6:23 says, "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." I interpret that to mean that without Jesus, I would never be able to go to heaven. I would never be able to have any sort of relationship with God. I would go to hell.


In reading elsewhere in the Bible, I have found that really and truly, none of us deserve anything but death and damnation. Now, I know we as humans categorize the severity of sin, but, God doesn't. Sin is sin, no matter how big or small. Sin separates us from God...period. I don't know about you, but being separated from the One who created me and sent His ONLY SON to die in my place doesn't sound like all that much fun.


Without grace, life wouldn't be worth much...to me anyway. I don't deserve it, but He loves me enough to give me His grace...WOW! How many times do we as humans fail to show even an inkling of this same grace to others...who either deserve it or not?


My challenge to you? Work at showing Grace to others. Those who do deserve it and those who don't. Those you love and those who drive you crazy. Those whose story you know and those whose story you don't know. You never know how much a small amount of grace can change a person's eternity.


I'd love to hear how God's grace has changed your life and how you showing grace to others has changed either you or them.


Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. Philippians 2:14-16