Grace

Grace is the act of kindness of God towards man to forgive us of all our sins, yet it is so much more. It is His character. His character of graciousness, kindness, love, forgiveness, compassion, understanding, and fatherhood. Yet it is also His character of discipline, His stance against evil, His desire for holiness in each of us. It is the willingness of a Father to work sinful beings through forgiveness into the image and character of His beloved Son. That's Grace.

And this Grace He gives freely to anyone who asks for it, anyone willing to receive it. Yes, it costs us all to ask for this. We must give up our ways in this world and our desires of this life. But the beauty of it is that once we catch a glimpse of our life in this world in comparison to the Grace He offers, there is no turning back. His Grace is so attractive, so loving, so full of Life that we didn't even realize we were missing! And when He enters in and takes over, when He shares a piece of His Grace with us, there is nothing else in this world to desire, only Him.

So how do we receive this Grace from Him? We don't deserve it and we are awful, sinful people in the light of a perfect, holy God. Part of His Grace is making it possible for us to receive, by no act of our own other than the willingness to ask for and receive it. And by receiving His Grace we are receiving Him, for His character of Grace is who He is. It's not a one-time gift He gives. It's not something He pulls away or discards after awhile. It is a full part of who He is as God, and it will never disappear or diminish from Him because it is a foundational part of who He is as God. And He never changes. As the Scripture says, "He is the same yesterday, today and always." (Heb. 13:8) This includes His character of Grace, His forgiveness, love, compassion, kindness and goodness. These things will never change and His holiness and purity will always remain. That's good news for us who daily rely on that character to live.