Years ago a friend of mine and her family were having lunch at a restaurant. Unbeknownst to them an anonymous diner paid their tab. When it came time to pay the bill the waitress handed it to them with the words \u201cpaid in full\u201d written across the top.<\/p>\n
I said, \u201cWow! A totally free lunch!\u201d<\/p>\n
To which my friend replied, \u201cWell, it was free for us, but someone paid the price of those meals.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think about that example when I think about grace. God\u2019s grace is something extended to us that we don\u2019t deserve, sort of like a free lunch.<\/p>\n
God\u2019s grace is truly amazing, but we can have a hard time grasping it. After all, society teaches us that we get what we pay for and we must earn our pay. No pain, no gain. There is no free lunch. And from a physical perspective, this is all true. However, when it comes to God\u2019s grace these principles do not apply. For God\u2019s grace cannot be earned and there isn\u2019t enough money in the world to buy it. It is a gift from God given freely to all who wish to receive it. (Ephesians 2:4, 5)<\/p>\n
This gracious gift pardons us from sin and brings us salvation. (Titus 2:11, Ephesians 2:4, 5) However, although we pay nothing for God\u2019s gift of grace, it was not free. Someone had to pay the tab. That someone was Jesus. His crucifixion and death paid the price for our sins. (2 Corinthians 5:21)<\/p>\n
The chorus of an old hymn comes to mind:<\/p>\n
Jesus paid it all<\/em> Jesus chose to die an agonizing death for us so we could have salvation. (Titus 2:14, John 3:16-17, Romans 3:24, Philippians 2:5-8)<\/p>\n So if I receive a night out on the town, a gift or even a free lunch, I always try to remember that someone had to pay for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Years ago a friend of mine and her family were having lunch at a restaurant. Unbeknownst to them an anonymous diner paid their tab. When it came time to pay the bill the waitress handed it to them with the … Continue reading
\nAll to Him I owe<\/em>
\nSin hath left a crimson stain<\/em>
\nHe washed it white as snow<\/em>
\n(Reference Isaiah 1:18)<\/p>\n