Pastor's Pen: Amazing Grace

What’s so amazing about grace? The danger of mediocre Christian living is the temptation to slip into a she’ll be right attitude about our lives. This attitude flows out of the self-righteous idea that I’m doing pretty good, at least, nowhere near as bad as that other person. You may ask, “What’s self-righteous about thinking I’m doing pretty good?” The fact that “I’m” doing it may be the clue. The most amazing thing about grace is that it has nothing to do with my abilities, my goodness or my track record, but it has the final word on how much I am worth. Worth that is revealed by God’s sacrificial love for me, His unfathomable forgiveness and His powerful abiding presence.

Some people feel uncomfortable with testimonies that contrast the old life before Christ and the new life we have in Christ, but it’s those stories of contrast that help us reflect and meditate on the amazing working of God’s grace in our lives. Such reflections will always serve to magnify the amazing work God has done (and is still doing) in us and should lead to a passionate response in living life  with “zeal” knowing I am accepted by God.

The author of the famous hymn “Amazing Grace” John Newton was writing from experience when he penned the words “saved a wretch like me”. We will never fully understand how truly amazing God’s grace is without understanding how wretched we are without it.

It is also really amazing that God’s grace doesn’t only save us from our wretched sinful condition, but by His grace He also continues to work in us a righteousness that flows forth in Godly living. This is where half-hearted response to God in the life we live is abhorrent to the divine working of His grace. He didn’t save us so we could live for ourselves, He saved us so we could live our lives for Him (see Eph2:8-10). I believe this I why so many Christians feel unsatisfied in life, and struggle with self-worth. Perhaps if we spent less time serving our own desires and more time serving God’s desires we would all be in a much healthier place. But even to live in obedience we are ever dependent on His divine working of grace ie. His favour that we don’t deserve and His power enabling us to live life His way!