Grace

It has been said that grace is getting something that you do not deserve. It is undeserved favor, an unearned wage or gift.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." -- Ephesians 2:8-9

Grace is essential to our relationship with Christ, because everything about our relationship with Christ is undeserved favor on His part. It is grace. Even if we were to try and earn salvation, we would never be able to. The gift is of such value that there is nothing in the world that we could do to deserve it, and yet it has been given to us freely.

"For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." -- John 1:17

We see that Jesus brought something new to us and our relationship with God. It was no longer a legalistic set of requirements and scales to measure whether or not you had earned forgiveness or acceptance. It was undeserved love and restoration.

With this is mind, we can rejoice that, even despite our failures, we can find acceptance and salvation in Christ, and in the same way, we are challenged to show grace to those around us.

"For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned." -- Romans 12:3

If we have been given grace by Christ, and we, as Christians, are called to imitate Him, should we not also give grace to those in our life: our friends, acquaintances, coworkers, family, church? We do not deserve the love and forgiveness and acceptance that Christ gave us, so who are we to demand that others earn those same things from us?

Let grace rule in your life, both in recognition of what God has given you, and in a willingness to show grace to those around you.
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