Wonderful Grace of Jesus
Today’s Verse:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. ~2 Corinthians 8:9
The passage of 2 Cor. 8-9 provides important instruction regarding “grace giving.” Grace giving is when we allow the grace of God to work in our hearts to produce a spirit of unrestricted giving. It is the giving of ourselves to God without reservation, then to one another. Giving on the part of a Christian is not to be restricted to rules and limits, but should be uninhibited and lovingly sacrificial. As Paul instructs us in this vital area of giving, he refers to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us take a moment this morning to reflect on the wonderful grace of Jesus!
We see the SOVEREIGNTY of our Lord Jesus.
He is the Lord Jesus Who is rich! Jesus is Creator God. Jesus is owner of all creation. He is rich beyond measure. There is nothing He does not own. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. The universe owes its existence to Him. Nothing that is can be in existence without Him. There is nothing He cannot do. He is rich in property, but He is also rich in power. “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” His riches cannot and will not be depleted. He supplies without having to replace. There are no economic uncertainties with Jesus. There is no kingdom that can conquer His kingdom. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Our starting point in grace is seeing the absolute abundance in the sovereignty of Jesus!
We see the SACRIFICE of our Lord Jesus.
“…Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor…” Grace is Jesus leaving all of His kingdom glory to descend to this sin-cursed world, take upon Him the form of man, and as a servant become obedient to the death of the cross. He gave His life voluntarily. He gave His life vicariously. He didn’t give His life in part, but He gave all of Himself. He became poor. The One Who is the giver of life gave His life for us! Christ died for sinful men! Christ died for all of our sins! Being rich, He could have devised a different payment price for sin. Instead, He exhibited grace by giving His life as a payment for sin. The giving of His life was more than just a penal substitution: the giving of His life in death for our sins was a passionate display of grace!
We see the SATISFACTION of our Lord Jesus.
“…Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” Fathom the explanation of grace. He became poor so that we through His poverty might be rich. He shed His blood and gave His life on the cross so that everyone who believes on Him can be saved. Grace giving on my part makes someone else better off. Jesus’s death on the cross makes us better off! His poverty leads to us becoming rich. We do not become rich in material gain, but rather in eternal gain. When we by faith accept Christ as Savior, we are forgiven completely of all our sins, gain heaven as our eternal home, and become sons of God. His goal in giving of Himself is so that we can become rich in Him.
We see the STANDARD of our Lord Jesus.
Jesus is the supreme model for grace giving. Grace giving is giving without any strings or ulterior motives. It is first giving of myself to God. It is giving of that which God has blessed. It is extreme giving. It is radical giving. It is not giving what is little or leftover, but giving my first and my best. It is giving so that a crucial need is met. If Jesus did not give His life a ransom for sin, none of us could be saved. Grace is love being given for the benefit of an undeserving but needy person. When the transaction is done, the one on the receiving end is better off and in a status that cannot be improved upon.
Jesus was grace exhibited! Jesus is grace extravagant! Jesus is grace exhorted! He became poor, so that we through His poverty might become rich.
Have a grace-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 2 Kings 4-5