Grace has been defined as the second chance we did not expect.
Picture this: We hang our heads in shame because we know we blew it. We missed our opportunity to be whole, to be who we were meant to be. So here we are, corrupted and broken, a far cry from what God intended for us. Yet, it is with overwhelming delight that we see God coming down the street to dry our tears and to encourage us to keep going and have faith in Him. He still loves us.
Many times, when we sin, we wonder how God could ever love us again.
What a feeling that must have been for Adam and Eve, the first people to experience the inexplicable grace God has for mankind! There they were, planted in the middle of paradise in the most perfect communion with God. They only had one rule—yet they found a way to break it.
But God is not interested in excommunicating us. Instead of getting upset, declaring the end of the world, and starting over, He pursued the hearts of Adam and Eve. In the midst of their sin, God still loved them (see Romans 5:8). And He has continued pursuing His creation ever since.
Many times, when we sin, we wonder how God could ever love us again. However, it is the grace of God that gives us a chance to repent and find new life. God's grace is not a pardon, for Christ had to die. But God grants us unmerited favor by making a way for us to be restored to Him—through the sacrifice of His Son. In this way He brings life to the broken: "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24).
As we grow in our relationship with God, oftentimes we are surprised by His love for us. But even more surprising is the amount of grace He pours over our lives. When we sin, God does not cast us aside. Instead, the compassionate heart of God meets us where we are and goes to great lengths to mend our hearts and restore our relationships with Him.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your love for me. Show me what Your grace looks like today. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"And God raised us up with Christ . . . in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6-7).
Learn more in Dr. Michael Youssef's sermon The Awesomeness of God's Grace, Part 1: LISTEN NOW
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