His Way

July 22

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence." Ephesians 1:7-8

MARVELING AT THE SUPERABUNDANCE OF GRACE

Recently I visited Niagara Falls for the first time and was awed by the sight and sound and overpowering sense of it all. Every minute, about 200,000 tons of water plunge into the Niagara River Gorge in a thunderous ovation to the lavish, generous nature of God.

The Lord could have used a lot less water, but He didn't. He could have made the falls lower, but He built them 12 stories high. And because they are what they are from the creative hand of God, people come from all over the world to see Niagara Falls.

What a picture of God's grace in Jesus Christ! "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence" (Ephesians 1:7, 8).

The Greek word translated "abound" means "an exceeding measure, something above the ordinary." God's grace toward us is not squeezed out from an eye-dropper or carefully rationed like water during a drought. His grace is a Niagara of superabundance so lavish that we marvel at its display.

Today, as you approach God to "find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16), remember how much there is -- grace beyond measure. D. C. MacCasland


We marvel at the superabundance of grace because grace is something that doesn't come naturally to us. We are far more inclined to hold on to offenses, to cling to hurts, and to plot retribution than we are to extend grace, which results in forgiveness.

Perhaps we are justified in our unflinching resolve to keep fresh the memories of those slings and arrows of criticism or accusation or vilification of any sort that have been flung our way, simply because they have come in such a torrent that unless we put up a wall of defense against them, they would wash away our self-esteem and our ability to withstand the onslaught.

But, our ability to hold back the tide of offense is not our surest defense. The enemy of our soul would have us to believe that our only recourse is to maintain a posture of protection from and retaliation against offense if we are to be safe from it. Indeed, he would have us to abandon all thought of grace as being an absurdity. Indeed, he would have us to negate all heavenly counsel as being impractical for worldly application.

If we are to achieve the "peace of God that passes understanding to keep our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus," Philippians 4:7, when our integrity is challenged, however, we must first lay aside our temporal avenues of recourse. We must recognize that our own defense leaves us troubled by past assaults and vulnerable to further attacks. What the Lord offers in its stead is His defense, which shields us from the hurt of past, present, and future unkindnesses.

May He help us to choose His way over the world's way, His way over man's frail substitutes for Heaven's grace in every circumstance in which we find ourselves, for in so choosing, we will always discover that Jesus is more than enough to meet every need we have. As the Word assures, "His grace is sufficient, for His strength is made perfect in our weakness," II Corinthians 12:9.