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Grace

It’s my favorite word. It is an idea that is so carelessly tossed about and yet so deeply meaningful at the same time. It is a fundamentally unselfish and thus unnatural concept for us as humans.

I have been talking and writing about it for most of my adult life, but it seems to be more and more and more a fixation in my life. I think that is because I am more and more and more in awe of the magnitude of God’s grace for me.

I’m convinced that we don’t really begin to see the magnitude of God’s grace until we find ourselves in a place where God’s grace is all we have… when we have nothing else to stand on, no justification of ourselves, no minimizing of our sin, no sugar-coating of our brokenness. Have you been to that place?

For most of us, it comes when our sin is exposed—to us and to others—and we have to come truly face to face with the vast unbridgeable chasm between our sinful selves and the holiness of God. That recognition causes us to begin to truly see the magnitude of His love for us as we recognize how utterly unworthy we are.

It was only after I found myself in such a place that I was truly awestruck—overwhelmed at the price God paid for my sin. And standing, perhaps for the first time in my life, in absolute wonder at His grace, I almost choked at the significance of the words of some of our most cherished hymns. I could hardly form the words, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me!”

I could tell you all about my sin and how miserably I have failed, but that’s not important at all. In truth, because all of our sin is abhorrent in the light of God’s holiness, we are all utterly unworthy of God’s grace… which is what makes it grace. Grace flows out of the character of God with no regard to our unworthiness. And because it flows from His character, it is literally limitless.

When I began to recognize the scope and nature of God’s grace, the words of another great hymn began to unfold in wonder:

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt

Grace, grace, God’s grace
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within
Grace, grace, God’s grace
Grace that is greater than all our sin

Maybe those words are familiar to you and perhaps you’ve never read or sang them before, but there is no mistaking the idea so beautifully and simply proclaimed – God’s grace is so much greater than all of my sin!

I want to challenge you today to stop and invite God to open your eyes to all of the unholiness in your own heart. As you pause to reflect upon it, I trust He will give you eyes to see. But don’t stop there.

Take a few minutes to listen to this beautiful hymn and just think on what it reminds us of in such simple beauty.

Yes, you and I are utterly unworthy of His loving grace. But His grace is so much greater than all of our failures, our filthiness, our faithlessness.

Do you see it?

Grace Greater Than Our Sin, performed here by The Village Chapel Worship Team

Father, open our eyes to our desperate need so that we might truly be overwhelmed by your abundant provision of grace—so much greater than all of our sin!

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If you enjoy these musical devotional posts, let me know in the comments and feel free to suggest a song that speaks to you in a significant way.