OUR AMAZING GRACIOUS GOD

 OUR AMAZING GRACIOUS GOD

 Grace is unfathomable and inexhaustible.  It seems that the matchless grace of God knows no barriers or limits.  He sees us for what we are and He reaches out to us, no matter how distant or dark the spaces we might inhabit.  The love of God is the explosive power that propels and targets amazing grace into every nation, culture, people and circumstance.

 It does not matter whether we recognize it or not, whether we believe it or not.  In the words of John Wesley, God’s grace is prevenient.  Its origins are long before our birth and its manifestations are skillfully woven through the fabric of our lives.  Although some may doubt, His grace is yet sufficient. (II Corinthians 12:9) 

 An atheist once cynically remarked, “If there is a God, let him prove himself by striking me dead right now.” Nothing happened. “You see, there is no God,” the atheist declared loudly.  A nearby Christian quietly responded, “You’ve only proven that He is a gracious God.”

 Unquestionably, the grace of God is powerfully present in every place and person on this planet.  Its amazing and unmerited favor reminds me of an inspirational story I recently read:

 Longing to leave her poor Brazilian neighborhood, Christina desperately wanted to see the world outside her tiny village.  She was totally discontented with a home that only had a floor pallet for a bed, a washbasin, and a wood-burning stove.  Christina dreamed of a better life in the city.  One morning she slipped away, carelessly breaking her mother’s heart.  Knowing what life on the streets would be like for her young, attractive, naïve daughter, Maria hurriedly packed to go and find her.  On the way to the bus stop, she entered a drugstore to get one last thing.  Pictures.  She sat in the photo booth, closed the curtain, and curiously spent all she could on pictures of herself.  With a purse full of small black-and-white photos, she boarded the next bus to Rio de Janeiro.  

 Maria knew Christina had no way of earning money. She also knew her daughter was too stubborn to give up her dream of a better life.  However, when pride meets hunger, people sometimes do things that were before unthinkable.  Knowing this, Maria began a panicky search of motels, bars, nightclubs, strip joints – any place that could be connected to street-walkers or prostitutes.  Maria searched them all.  At each place she left her picture, taped on a bathroom mirror, or tacked to a motel sign, or fastened to a phone booth.  On the back of each photo she wrote a note.  It wasn't too long before her money and pictures ran out, and Maria was forced to return home. This weary mother wept inconsolably as the bus began its long journey back to her village. 

 A few weeks later, an extremely weary Christina descended a flight of motel stairs.  Her young face was exhausted; her brown eyes no longer danced with youth, but reflected only pain and fear.  Her easy laughter was gone and her city dream had become a nightmare.  A thousand times over she longed to trade these countless beds for her modest yet secure floor pallet.  Yet her little village was, in so many ways, too far away.  As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her eyes landed on a familiar face.  She looked again, and tacked on the lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother.  Christina's eyes burned and her throat tightened as she walked across the room to retrieve the photo.  Written on the back was this compelling invitation: “Wherever you have been, whatever you have done, it doesn't matter.  Please come home.”  Christina did.  Grace.

 I, too, am the blessed recipient of Heaven’s unmerited favor; and I am eternally grateful for the timely and life-saving manifestation of God’s amazing grace.  He has always looked beyond my faults and unconditionally ministered to every one of my needs.  Thank you, Jesus.  Hallelujah, what a Savior!

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!