Grace wins!

Last weekend we had a double date night with the Dimares.  Roe and John are Mark's godparents, and Roe was my doula (birth assistant) for both my children.

We headed to a sushi restaurant and we talked about Jesus the whole time, as always.  They attend a church in New Brunswick called Liquid and their pastor has a phrase with his congregation, "Grace wins!"  And it is oh, so true!

In thinking of the miracle and love and grace of the Christmas story in Luke 2, I think of how grace won...

God created man and gave man free will.  He didn't create robots who would automatically serve Him and worship Him.  In His grace He allowed man to choose...

Man sinned.  Sin entered the picture and in our disobedience we were cut off from a relationship with God.

But grace wins...

God saw that man needed a way to get back in a relationship with Him and so He designed a plan.  All throughout the Old Testament God showed His love and grace to His chosen people and to all people (deliverance out of slavery from Pharoah).  He showed His power (the flood and Noah's ark), He showed His authority (Jonah being swallowed by the big fish) and might (protecting Daniel in the Lion's Den), and He showered man with grace (He gives second chances, He forgives, He pursues a relationship with us, He stands at the door of our heart and patiently knocks waiting for us to open up and allow Him to be a part of our lives).

grace wins...

And then He does what no other "god" has done...He sent His one and only son, Jesus, fully God and fully man to enter the world as a baby...

grace wins...

He didn't come to earth as a tyrant, or a dictator, or a nasty mean old King, He came to earth as a helpless baby who would grow to be a man, who would choose to give up His life for the sin of man, so that He could be the payment for our sins...

grace wins...

He took our payment our punishment when he was brutally beaten and spit upon, and mocked, and punished when he did nothing wrong, he hung on a cross, he didn't deserve to die, he did nothing wrong, but...

grace wins...

Grace is God's Riches At Christ's Expense...God's best for us at the expense of the life of a sinless man, someone had to pay the price for our wicked hearts, someone had to restore us and make us new, and only God could do it.  Thank you Jesus. Grace wins!!!

Now, what about me?  Do I need to extend that same grace when I am loving people around me?  Oh, yes!

Grace wins!

Forget about past hurts, forget about past wrongs, mean words, offenses, whatever it is, if God can provide a way to forgive us, and love us, and extend grace, guess what, how can we not do the same, with His help of course.

Grace wins!