Grace isn't a one-time event either.
Scott and I are part of a newly formed small community group, and our first study is set to be Ephesians. I thought I'd start through a study book I have for Ephesians to help me prepare for the discussions we will (hopefully!) have. It's not an expensive book, not a Beth Moore book, just a little pocket-sized book that starts with a big chunk of Scripture on Day 1, then breaks it down into one or two verse study chunks for each of the rest of the days of the week, tying in the verses with other passages throughout the Bible. I got a fresh, clean journal for my birthday, and I thought it would be good to jot down the answers to the study questions and any other thoughts that came along. I was glad to have it Wednesday; I just kept writing and writing as the thoughts kept coming.
The study byte for the day was Ephesians 1:6-8. The study question was: "How is God's grace described here?"
Well? What's the answer? Dontcha know? :-) Okay, okay, I'll post the Scripture for you here.
to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,
Here's another version that sounds a little more like a self-contained byte:
So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[b] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
Those are some pretty amazing words.
Glorious: marked by great beauty or splendor. Delightful. Wonderful
Poured: to cause to flow in a stream; to supply or produce freely or copiously; to give full expression to.
Freely: of one's own accord; with freedom from external control; without restraint or reservation; without hindrance; not strictly following a model, convention, or rule.
Riches: things that make one rich
Lavished: expending or bestowing profusely. Expended or produced in abundance; marked by profusion or excess.
Showered: To rain or fall as if in a shower; to give in abundance.
Now go back and read the verses again, this time putting in the long definition of each word:
to the praise of his glorious [delightful, wonderful, marked by great beauty and splendor] grace, which he has freely [of his own accord, with freedom from external control, without restraint or reservation, without hindrance,not strictly following a model, convention, or rule] given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished[produced and expended in abundance, bestowing it freely, marked by profusion and excess] on us.
Overflowing. Excessive. Rich. Deep. Thick. Overabundant. Inexhaustible.
Like a hike. A particular hike.
You're hiking in the mountains and you somehow lost your way. What was to be a pleasant morning excursion has turned into a day-long tramp. You finished your water hours ago, and the only thing you have to keep hunger at bay is salty trail mix. With chocolate. That only makes you thirstier than you already were.
You try to make your way across the mountain; maybe you'll find the trail again. But you're so thirsty it feels like you've eaten the Sahara for lunch and wool socks for dessert.
After what seems like forever and a half, you find some water! Bad news is it's a barely discernible track of a few drops at a time, like the ones that form those tiny icicles on the slate hillsides in winter. You put out your tongue to corral a few drops, but there's so little water that your tongue can't even feel the dampness.
That's our idea of grace, I think. Yeah, it's there, we can see it, but we have to work for it. Really try hard. And when we see it, it's not really enough to change anything about us, so it's not really worth the hype and bother of it all.
Back to the hike. You're still lost, and your failed attempt to get some water has magnified your thirst about five million times. You shoulder your pack and start trudging on again.
The sun has been high overhead for way too long, beating down through the green canopy above, soaking you in rays of heat. You're soaked with something else, too: your own salty sweat as you hike across the mountain.
Then you hear a sound like a strong wind moving the trees. But there's no wind. Can it be true? You rush toward the noise, stumbling over roots and briers, till you come to a rocky gorge. You look up to the mouth of the gorge, and there it is.
A waterfall.
The sun sparkles from the falling droplets like it's a cascade of diamonds. And at that moment you would trade all the diamonds in the world for a drop of that clear water on your tongue. A mist hangs over the pool at the base of the falls, and you can see that the pool overflows into a very wide, very shallow stream. You hesitate only a moment, then start climbing over the rocks to get closer.
The closer you get, the higher the falls look. Close-up the water looks furious rather than friendly. You turn away to head downstream for a taste of the slightly muddier water in the stream, when suddenly something catches your eye.
The falls are roaring, pounding the rocks at the bottom, except in one spot. There a slanted rock ledge breaks the falling water into a gentle, pouring stream. It's just right.
So you stand there and look at it for a couple of years, right? You study it, maybe compose a song about it, get your notepad out of your backpack and start to write a book about it.
No. I don't think so.
You kick off your shoes and practically jump from rock to rock until you come to that ledge. You reach out your hand and the shock of the cold mountain water races up your arm and brings out goosebumps on your skin. You smile as you run your hand through the water. You cup your hands and drink; the water is more refreshing than you could have imagined: clear, but with the slightest hint of earthiness. You drink till you can't hold any more. But it's not enough.
You step forward into the water and feel it coursing down your head, your neck, soaking your clothes and cooling your tired feet. As the endless stream pours around you, you grin and revel in it.
And that is grace as God gives it.
So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[b] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
No comments:
Post a Comment