Whether it is BOGO, clearance sale, or straight out free gift, ever single person wants to stretch their dollar a little farther and maximize their buying power. And if we are honest with one another, what we really want is to get something for nothing! But there’s no such thing as a “free lunch” or is there?
There is one thing that is absolutely free…and that is GRACE! The definition of Grace as it pertains to Christian belief is:
“the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.”
“God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
In Charles Stanley’s Life Principles Bible, he made this commentary on these powerful verses:
“If our salvation were dependent upon our actions – if we could be redeemed by doing good works, keeping the commandments, and refraining from sin – we would always be in danger of losing it whenever we stumbled. However, because salvation is a gift given to us freely – and not in exchange for anything we can do – it is completely secure. Our salvation therefore magnifies the awesome love and grace of God alone, since He blesses us not because of our merit but because of His goodness.”
I love that, God “blesses us not because of our merit but because of His goodness.” This is especially important because our sin separates us from God. Here is a incredible picture of what Grace means.
The old testament prophet Isaiah said to the people:
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God;
And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2 (NKJV)
This true for us today, our inequities or inward bent toward sin has separated us from God. Isaiah said because of our sins, God is hidden from us, or another way to say it, our sin pushes God away from us. BUT Grace, changes everything because it bridges the gap between our sin and God. Many people have a hard time believing that God’s grace, His favor and His love is free to anyone through belief in Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection for all of our sins over 2,000 years…You cannot earn your salvation, or do enough “good deeds” to make it to heaven but it is a free gift, as Acts 15:11 (NLT) says:
The grace we receive is undeserved and is solely based on “who God is” and not on anything we do.
One of my all time favorite hymns is from John Newton called “Amazing Grace.” Hillsong Worship just released their 23rd album called “No Other Name” which I have been listening to it over and over…just absolutely incredible! The stand out song for me off the new album is a revitalized version of my favorite hymn called “Broken Vessels (Amazing Grace)“.
How beautiful is that picture? God takes our failures, our weaknesses and forms something beautiful out of the broken mess that each of us are. So back to the question at hand, is there such a thing as a free lunch? NO, THERE IS NOT…because even though Grace is free to us through faith in Jesus, it came at a heavy price for God. So how will you respond? Will you accept God’s Grace? Will you accept Jesus as your savior?
Make this your prayer today:
God take this broken vessel and forgive my sins.
I am wretched and in need of a Savior. I believe that Jesus came to die for my sins and that He is the bridge that brings me to eternal life with you forever. Please forgive all my sins. I accept the free gift of salvation and know that I can never do enough good deeds to earn that salvation. So take this heart Lord, I’ll be your vessel so that the world can see Your life in me! In Jesus Name I pray! Amen!
If you earnestly prayed that prayer, you are a new creation (see Romans 10:9-10 and 2 Corinthians 5:17)! God will honor that prayer of surrender and will do incredible things in your life! Please contact me if you have any questions about your new life in Jesus Christ, I would love to discuss your decision more. God Bless!
To finish this Thought for Today, check out this incredible short film about the life, death and love of what OUR savior Jesus Christ did for EVERY PERSON!
[…] And if you want to learn more about this Amazing Grace, check out a previous post called ★ Thought for the Day – Is There Such a Thing As a Free Lunch? ★ […]
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