InsightForLivingCanada

Amazing Grace on Display

The word grace means many things tomany people. We refer to a ballet dancer as having grace. We say grace at meals. We talk about the Queen of England bringing grace to events she attends. Grace can mean coordination of movement, it can mean a prayer, it can refer to dignity and elegance. Most important, grace can mean unmerited favour—extending special favour to someone who doesn’t deserve it, who hasn’t earned it, and who can never repay it.

Who Deserves Grace?

A landowner heads into the city early in the morning to hire labourers to work in his vineyard. He finds some men in the marketplace doing nothing. They agree to the wage he offers and head off for a day’s work. Three hours later, the landowner goes back out to the street and brings in more labourers. “I will pay you whatever is right,” he says. Three hours after that, and again three hours after that, the landowner repeats the same process.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

When things get dull around our house, I like to remind my children that I am arranging their marriages.

They usually stop whatever they are doing because they have strong feelings about this. So do my sons’ girlfriends. As a young teenager on the verge of dating, I believed that arranged marriages were a horrible idea, like driving through London on the right side of the road. But now that I have kids of my own, I see the benefits.

Unconditional Forgiveness

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Children are great teachers, especially on the topic of forgiveness. My kids are professionals in that field—I’ve given them plenty of practice!

One evening I knelt beside Stephanie’s bed. She looked at me, her eyes betraying the hurt my impatience had caused before bedtime. “I’m sorry for yelling at you,” I confessed. “I was wrong. Would you please forgive me?”

Seeing the Human Dust

I was disturbed recently by a discussion about grace. The assertion was made that when unbelievers hear the term “evangelical Christian” the word gracious does not come to mind. Hypocrite, racist, homophobic, and intolerant all come up well ahead of gracious. The thing that disturbed me then and still bothers me, is that it’s true.

Growing in Grace and Responsibility

The Cross is all about payment in full for sins. So, having been redeemed, what does God want us to do? Live as we please? Of course not. We are now to live as He pleases and we’re able to because of grace.

The Consequences of Grace

The concept of grace is wonderful until you begin to examine its very personal consequences.

I had a conversation with a young person recently who, in the midst of a personal crisis, felt the betrayal of confidence of a friend. This betrayal caused deep hurt to the point of contempt. From that moment, my young friend would no longer speak to the individual and the relationship began to grow deep roots of bitterness.