Have you ever heard people trying to describe God’s grace?  It’s kind of hard to describe something that is not palpable. We all know that we don’t have to see to believe.  So, what is God’s grace?

We humans are a strange lot—coming from all different walks of life!  But it doesn’t matter who you are, what you have done, or where you are going, God’s grace is with you whether you know it or not, whether you feel it or not—or even whether you actually accept it or not.  It is God showing His love for us regardless of our flaws.  It is God giving up his only Son to be the final sacrifice for our sins.  I sometimes can’t even put my mind around what Jesus did—FOR ME!

Try to think of God’s grace as a beautifully wrapped present; imagine in your mind the paper that covers the perfect box, the color and texture of the paper and how beautifully it wraps around the box with its corners perfectly matched and taped down.  Then there are the colorful ribbons—lots of ribbons and a big bow.  On top of the box is a card in an elegant gold-trimmed envelope.  Have you ever received a beautifully wrapped present like this before?  What did you do with it?   You probably opened the card first to see who it was from.  Then you unwrapped the box, of course.  It can’t really be YOUR present unless you unwrap it and accept it, right?  You are excited and just have to see what’s enclosed so you can ooh and aah and be amazed at the beautiful something inside.  Once you take the gift out of the box, you want to show its beauty and your face expresses how you feel; you want to share it.

Or, you can take the unwrapped box along with the unopened card and place it high on a shelf in your closet.  It is really pretty but you hate to have to tear the paper and cut the ribbons as you open it.  So, there it sits.  It’s not really YOUR present anymore; it’s just a box stashed away in your closet like a dozen other things you don’t use.  How sad that you don’t open it and experience the glory of God’s gift.

If you do decide to open the card, read the loving verse, untie the bow and excitedly tear into the paper eager to uncover the secret of what’s inside, once you lift the cover of the box you’ll never be the same again!  For God’s grace is inside and as it floats out of the box and gently settles over and through you, His love will grow stronger and deeper inside of you.  You will know that His grace is all that you will ever need.  You realize that you don’t really deserve such a grand gift as this, but it doesn’t matter to God because He wants you to have it.  The sacrifice He made for us is what makes you realize just how loving a God He is.

Every living being on this earth has a beautifully wrapped present such as this.  Will you hide it away in the closet or will you actually let it be YOUR gift by unwrapping it, experiencing it, and then showing it off for all the world to see?  It’s your choice.