Graceful

Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded,grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death,even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 5:20-21

           I have tried so often to change for the better and as many times as I have determined to change I seem to have failed. I wondered what must God really think of my failures and me?  How must He view me in light of the sins that I commit.  I mean, no matter how much I may not want to sin I still do. So what does God do to me for my faults, my failure, even my sins?

The answer is so clearly seen in today’s verse.  When sin was working overtime in my life to destroy me the grace of God was working that much more to save me.  Think about it this way—the moment of your greatest failure against God, his grace was working so much more in your life so that you would not be consumed. The grace of God, honestly is there anything better?  I cannot think of anything.  Previously, we defined mercy as the withholding of what we deserve.  Today God reveals to us that we are not only to be merciful to others and withhold what we think they deserve, but we are to be graceful.  Grace is bestowing favor upon one even without that one being deserving of that favor.

Our image is to reflect the image of our Creator.  We are to be graceful in the face of great failures both personal failures as well as the failures of others.  As you endeavor to be Christ-like you must allow yourself to handle others failures in light of how God handles yours.  No matter how much negativity is working in your life let favor work that much more.

A graceful man is a man who understands the faults and failures of others in light of his own and chooses to bless rather than to judge.