His grace is sufficient...is mine?

Grace:  unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification. (Merriam-Webster)

Simply put, grace is something that God has given to us that we didn't deserve, and did nothing in our own strength to obtain.

Sometimes, when I have writer's block yet still have the urge to write, I spend some time searching the scriptures. One of my favorite places online is Bible Gateway . I can search a word, topic, passage, or I can even listen to the Bible being read in a variety of versions and languages. It's a great tool! I looked up the word "grace" on this website. As I scrolled down to see the different passages, I realized something. The word "grace" only appears in the New International Version of the Old Testament ten times. Ten. That got me thinking how grace must have been such a foreign concept in Old Testament times. Still existent, but not very common. If you think about it, we read over and over again about the Mosaic law, about the rules and regulations, about the consequences of disobedience to God. An "eye for an eye" was common punishment, and stoning was the norm for a number of transgressions.  The law was very specific as to what would happen to you if you stole, murdered or coveted. And, as we read in many accounts, people were quick to place blame, pass judgement and carry out punishment. Sometimes I think, "God, why did you let so much time pass from the fall of Adam and Eve until Jesus's death on the cross?" With my limited, feeble knowledge of the universe, I wonder, "wouldn't it have been better to quickly send Jesus, right after the disobedience in the Garden of Eden, so that mankind didn't have to experience any separation from God's presence?" Then it hit me. How better to learn what true grace is, than to experience a world that is, for all intensive purposes, completely absent of grace. God, in His infinite wisdom must have known we would try in our own strength to work our way back to Him. Surely He knew that mankind would be arrogant enough to actually think they could find a way to redeem themselves. If God had not waited, and sent Jesus to die immediately after the fall of man, would we have taken Jesus' death on the cross for granted? Would it have had as much meaning to us if we were never allowed to experience and read about the consequences for sin without grace? I know in my own life, when I had to own up to my sin, and walk through my consequences, those were the times when I learned the most about myself, and my desperate need for grace. I am always fascinated by the way God chooses to carry out His plan. It's rarely the way that I would have done it, and, eventually, His results are always better than I could have ever dreamed.  I also appreciate how God allows us to try to solve our own problems. Then, after we fail (miserably at times), He picks us up and brushes us off, and shows us His way. After Jesus's death and resurrection, grace was poured out for all of us to freely receive, if we so desired. No more sacrificial offerings. No more veil. No more walls between us and God. What an amazing gift! Since God has lavishly covered us in His grace, why then are we so stingy with extending it to others? Sadly, one of the places where grace is missing the most is in the church. Criticism and condemnation run rampant, but grace is kept bottled up. It's no wonder why the Church today is ineffective on many levels. Without the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit, and the work of grace and love, church becomes just another place to get together.

There is a Spanish song by Jesus Adrian Romero called ¿Que Sería de mi? that we sing in church that says, (loosely translated):

What would have happened to me if You didn't reach out to me?
Where would I be today if You hadn't forgiven me?
I would have a void in my heart
A wanderer without a place or direction
If it hadn't been for your grace and your love.

If we could only keep that perspective all the time, so many things would be completely different inside the church and out. Help us Lord, to appreciate the grace and love that you have shown us, and help us to be quick to freely extend it to others.

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace." Acts 20:24