Ephesians 1:2 – May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. (NLT)

I was the recipient of grace … undeserved mercy.

"I promised God that I'd help the next person I knew whom He had called into ministry." He spoke the words, and then handed me an envelope. I was following God's call, which, in this case, meant leaving my job and moving somewhere that I'd never been — and without any promise of work or income. Having a family to care for made the decision more difficult. When I got home, I tore into the envelope. A cheque for $1,000 fell out. Grace!

Christ offered me grace for the first time when I was nine. I jumped at the offer. He's provided grace daily since then, but the first time was the most monumental. This offer involved the chance to have my sins forgiven and the penalty for them erased. Accepting the offer restored me to a right relationship with God.

When grace came, peace followed. Now, I didn't have to worry anymore about my present or future state. In the present, I was assured of His presence in my life to guide me in every circumstance. I also had the peace of knowing that heaven was in my future.

Paul's life before Christ had no peace, only religious zeal. Christians were different, and he was out to destroy as many as he could. He may have appeared happy and satisfied, but he wasn't. Christ met him while he was on one of his escapades and offered him grace. He accepted, and for the first time in his life, he experienced peace.

Later in Paul's life, God told him that His grace would always be sufficient, and it was. It carried him through numerous unpleasant situations. God's grace does the same for us. When we lean on God in trying conditions, we find His grace to be sufficient and calming.

Let's allow God's grace to assure us of forgiveness and to give us peace amid life's trials and tests.

Prayer: Father, we thank You for extending the grace of Your forgiveness and then giving us peace that is beyond our comprehension. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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