The gift of mercy and grace

Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Abraham believed the promises of God and God counted Abraham righteous because of his faith. Similarly when we place our faith in Christ God grants us mercy and grace and makes us righteous in His sight because of the salvation provided by Jesus Christ. God gave us a new chance in life to live free from sin and live out a good life God planned for us long ago. It is a free gift for all who place their faith in Christ.

Albert Tomei is a justice of the New York State Supreme Court. A young defendant was convicted in Judge Tomei’s court of gunning down another person execution style. The murderer had a bad record, was no stranger to the system, and only stared in anger as the jury returned its guilty verdict. The victim’s family had attended every day of the two-week trial. On the day of sentencing, the victim’s mother and grandmother addressed the court. When they spoke, neither addressed the jury. Both spoke directly to the murderer. They both forgave him. "You broke the Golden Rule——loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind. You broke the law——loving your neighbor as yourself. I am your neighbor," the older of the two women told him, "so you have my address. If you want to write, I’ll write you back. I sat in this trial for two weeks, and for the last sixteen months I tried to hate you. But you know what? I could not hate you. I feel sorry for you because you made a wrong choice."

Judge Tomei writes: "For the first time since the trial began, the defendant’s eyes lost their laser

force and appeared to surrender to a life force that only a mother can generate: nurturing, unconditional love. After the grandmother finished, I looked at the defendant. His head was hanging low. There was no more swagger, no more stare. The destructive and evil forces within him collapsed helplessly before this remarkable display of humaneness." In choosing the path of forgiveness, that grandmother unleashed a power that could not be tapped in any other way. And that power was what caused the defendant to hang his head for the first time. [Max Lucado, A Gentle Thunder (Word, 1995)]

God looks at us and sees the sins we have committed, yet God has compassion towards us just as this mother and grandmother did. God has forgiven us and ready to give us a new life. All we need to do is reach out and take the free gift of Salvation He offers through His son Jesus Christ.

If you have never accepted God’s free gift all it requires is a heart that desires Christ. Tell God you are a sinner and want to turn from your sins and that you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ who died for your sins. Ask Jesus to come into your heart and show you the way to life a life free from sin.