Today is Your Best Day Because of Grace (Part 1)

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:4-8 NKJV

Grace makes it possible for today to be your best day. Grace demands nothing and gives everything God desires you to have. Through grace, God has pulled out all the stops and poured His abundant favor upon you in Jesus Christ. Grace points you to Jesus and says, "All that is His is freely yours. All mercy, all blessings, all strength, all righteousness, all kindness is yours today in Jesus Christ."

When someone has a job, he expects to get paid because he has earned his wages. Pay is given to him based strictly upon his performance. The longer a person stays on a job the more he expects to get paid. If he remains a good and loyal employee, he will usually get promoted and take on more benefits. This merit of pay and benefits has nothing to do with grace, but rather with works.

God does not want you to try to earn His favor. He's not looking at the number of years you have been a Christian to decide how much He should bless you. You are not blessed today based upon your tenure in Christ.

Grace means that you do not need to earn something that you have already been given. Even when you need more grace, God supplies it freely. How did you receive grace in the first place? God did not extend His grace to you because you were a nice sinner, a sincere sinner, or a disciplined sinner. He extended His grace to you while you were a sinner, no matter what kind of sinner you were. He did not extend His grace to you because you were religious or full of good works. God's grace came to you through the cross. He extended His grace to you, not based upon what you did for Him, but based upon what His Son did for you.

God extends grace to you today, as His child, as He did when you were a sinner. Nothing that you have done as a believer in Christ has earned you more grace. Bible reading, prayer, giving, and Christian service don't mean that you have earned the right to have more grace poured out upon you. If it did, grace would not be grace. Whenever the word "grace" appears in the scriptures, there is another word that often appears nearby. That word is given. You will never find the word deserved associated with grace.

Every joy that fills your heart and every delight that satisfies your soul are yours today because of the benefits of grace. God has showered you with these favors without any expectations of return. Grace does not hang something over your head and say, "You owe Me and I expect you to pay Me back." Grace is the absolute free expression of God's loving heart. The motivation of grace is to bountiful bless you.

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