“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” – Anne Lamott

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me….” – John Newton (1772)

“The law condemns the best of us, but grace saves the worst of us.” – Joseph Prince

When you think about our human condition, there isn’t anything more beautiful, more welcoming, or more reassuring then to be on the receiving end of grace.  To hear words like, “I forgive you”, “It’s alright – everything will be ok.”, “Don’t worry, I can help you!”, or “I don’t care about what you said or did – I love you so much and that’s all that matters!”

Grace – how sweet the sound of it!  Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

It is marvelous to be on the receiving end of grace, but have you thought about what it feels like to be the one who administers it – the one who gives or provides it to someone in need?

I’ve thought about this a lot this past month.  I am looking hard at my own life, what drives my responses, and particularly what motives are behind my words and actions.  I want to be a grace-giver!  Someone who is seen as understanding, less judgmental, softer with my choice of words, and quicker to offer mercy and help – never burdened by thoughts of reciprocation or kindness given back to me in return.  Simply an administer of grace – nothing more.

Each of us strives in our own way to be the best we can be.  But my friend… I don’t think we could ever find a singular focus immersed deeper within the very heart of God’s will for us here then to offer our lives in the service of providing grace –  to our family, our friends, and to the lives of the people who cross our paths in desperate need it.

Given our human nature, this isn’t such an easy task – especially when you look at what lies at the center of it, what defines it, how God sees it, and why it is so important to Him.  Grace has an almost divine nature to it – making any kind of human effort toward administering it more challenging. 

Here are some things I’ve thought about that I want to share:

Grace is an inherent part of who God is – defining His very being.  But so do many other characteristics – attributes that play a major role in how He goes about administering grace to us.

First off, He is holy – perfectly executing all His character attributes without flaw.  One of those attributes is His love for us.  If He “perfectly” loves, then it is never driven by our imperfections – meaning God doesn’t base the execution of his perfect character on how we humanly behave and act.  If He is holy and loving, then He must love based on who He is – not on how we act.

In Ezekiel 36, God tells the children of Israel, “It is not for your sake that I will act, but for my holy name.”  In other words, God isn’t basing His actions on our behavior as much as He is remaining true to who He is.  A holy, righteous God wouldn’t be able to act any other way.

Think of this in terms of grace.  If God is “full of grace and truth”, then He is bound to this character definition.  Grace must flow from Him to us continually – never because of who we are or based on what we have done, but because of WHO HE IS!

Think about that for a second.  Grace is who God is, therefore, it drives His actions toward us continually!  Holiness is perfect – never wavering, indecisive or wishy washy.  What a beautiful thought!

If we are to become grace-givers, we too must administer grace based on who we are and how we want to define ourselves – being true to our character FIRST.  We must give up the idea of relationships that are quid pro quo, on what others think, or how our actions might be interpreted by others.  We must be gracious always – because that is who we are 🙂

“The sage does not dwell on his own problems.
He is aware of the needs of others.  He says: I am good to people who are good.
I am also good to people who are not good. Because Virtue is goodness.
I have faith in people who are faithful. I also have faith in people who are not faithful.
Because Virtue is faithfulness.” – Chapter 49 of the Tao Te Ching

Grace is inherent by definition – meaning it cannot come by means that are earned or deserved or owed.  It simply flows to all of us 🙂  How very sweet the sound of that!

“And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.” – Romans 11:6 NLT

Here is where most religions have it wrong – that we are given grace based on who we are, how we act, or on our strict adherence to doctrinal belief.  If that were true, then grace wouldn’t be grace.

I love how Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 5:43-45: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’, But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.…”

If we are to become grace-givers, by definition it must continually flow from us to others – or it cannot be grace.  If we base it on how others treat us, if it is owed to someone, or if they deserve our love and support, then we are not acting in the nature of what grace truly means.

Grace is inherently sufficient – it never lacks or has an aspect to it that falls short, is held back, or leaves us incomplete.  How could the loving act of grace ever be too little, too late, or not enough? How sweet the sound of such truth!

But haven’t we all been there….that place where we feel like we are never catching a break, like our lives are missing something, or we always seem in need?  Where is the grace then if it is always sufficient?

Here is what I have learned over time:

• What I thought I needed at the time wasn’t REALLY what I needed 🙂
• There is a definitive difference between WANTS and NEEDS.  What I want isn’t always what I need.  I have found that some of the greatest grace I have received from God has been in the area of teaching me about the true meaning of wealth, where it resides within our life, and what things truly hold the most value.  He has taught me this in an environment of lack.  Grace comes sufficiently to us in all forms my friend 🙂
• God knows BEST how to give me exactly what I need, the amount I need at the time, and intertwines that with everything else He is teaching me along my journey at that moment.
• We are given sufficient grace to sustain us for the day.  We are never given weekly, monthly, or annual grace 🙂 It comes to us each day – demonstrating God’s faithfulness and teaching us to lean on Him for everything.
• Think about this….when it comes to bad days, thanks to God and His sufficient grace, we have made it through every one we have encountered thus far!  And we will continue to do so until our last day on this Earth.

“Today God promises us grace – grace for every moment and every need – a marvelous, sufficient grace that can turn confusion to clarity, fear into courage, inactivity into effectiveness, bitterness into blessing, doubt into decisiveness, and trouble into triumph.” – Matt Anderson

I hope tonight you think about grace in a new way.  That it comes from a loving God naturally – because it is a part of who He is and what He stands for.  That it never comes to us because we earned it, deserve it, or have done something righteous in our life.  If it did, it wouldn’t be grace 🙂

Mostly, I hope you realize that it is “perfectly” sufficient for the day – sometimes (like my personal example) coming to us in ways we think aren’t right or enough at the time – realizing down the road how much love, mercy, and grace we were really receiving in that moment from a “perfect, holy” God who loves us beyond measure!

May God bless you with His grace today 🙂