Grace upon grace
This past weekend, Joanne and I journeyed 10 hours to Birmingham to see our family, especially our second great-grandchild, Elijah. During the first minute or two, we were gazing upon this gift from God, wondering who he looked like and other things that run through a great-grandparent’s mind. He and others were wearing a T-shirt with Cousin Crew on it. Within that first minute, our daughter Becky, his grandmother, asked my wife what she thought of the T-shirt and what did it mean. We were so excited about seeing Elijah and all of those thoughts, we really couldn’t figure out what was going on. With that, we turned around and saw our youngest granddaughter Annie with her husband Wyatt standing, smiling and holding three photos of a sonogram. She is 12 weeks pregnant. In one short minute, our life grew exponentially. This is the definition of grace upon grace.
Sufficient grace
The Spirit, through John, writes that Jesus came in the flesh full of grace and truth. He goes on to say “for from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (1.16). I’m sure you’ve seen this most of your life, especially after receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior. He likes to pile on, so to speak. John says that he is full, which means he will never run dry. He provides grace after grace after grace in so many ways in all areas of our lives.
Last night as I was filling up my car, I thought about the fact that this tank of gas will last 7 to 10 days based on my driving routine. I’ll have to refill it. That’s not the case with Jesus. His tank is always full, and he is ready, willing and able to provide that grace.
He went to the cross and by grace, through faith, we have eternal life. If he went that far, do you not think that he will continue to pour out grace upon grace on you, your family, your business, whatever? Grace is getting what you don’t deserve.
Finally, Paul, as recorded in II Corinthians 12, pleaded with God three times to remove the thorn in his flesh. God simply assured him that his grace was sufficient. The thorn remained, but the grace abounded. So it is and will be until we meet him face-to-face.
