GRACE UPON GRACE

God's Grace --- God's unmerited favor

God's Grace --- God's Riches At Christ's Expense

John 1:16 says, "And of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace."  Jesus gives us grace on top of grace, out of the fulness of His own grace.

I absolutely love the ocean.  I love the smell of the ocean, the feel of the sand between my toes, and the tide washing up over my feet at the water's edge. I love how smooth the soles of my feet are after a few days of walking on the beach. But, the thing I love the most is the sound of the ocean.  It is the most peaceful sound of anything I know.   The sound of one wave coming up after another in endless succession.

Take a moment out of your busy schedules to experience what I am talking about.

There is never a time that the waves stop.  The tide may come in and the tide may go out; the waves may be bigger at times than others, but the waves never stop. 

The same is true of God's grace.  One wave of God's grace is coming in and it is constantly being refreshed by a new wave. This all comes out of His fulness.  What that says to me is that we can't drain Him!  There is no limit to the supply of grace that is at our disposal in Christ!  WOW!

The New International Version of the Bible puts it his way,

" From the fulness of His grace we have ALL received one blessing after another."

This doesn't mean that I will always be happy, but it does mean that I will always have an underlying joy that cannot be explained by this world.  All of us have burdens, but God DAILY LOADS US WITH HIS BENEFITS!  He gives us one blessing after another (just like the waves of the ocean coming in in succession) and He has countless ways that HE chooses to bless us.

The blessing He chooses to give me may be different from the blessing that He chooses for you.  What he blesses you with may be different than what He blesses me with.  But....His fulness can never be exhausted. His fulness can never be drained. He tells us in His Word that "No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly."

As I think about this, I am convicted that many times I don't really take the time to look around to notice the "waves" of God's grace that continue to pour in on me in succession.  My focus many times is on what is "wrong" in my life; on the burdens that I am dealing with at the present time.  

I am blessed with so much natural beauty surrounding me.  The flowers, the Carolina blue skies, the birds singing outside my window, the much-needed rain. I am surrounded by people that I love and people that love me, I have a roof over my head, 3 meals a day, a great job...and the list goes on and on.

I pray that God would give me a new perspective -- HIS perspective.  No matter what burdens I am carrying, help me to always be mindful of the many benefits He daily loads me with and to never take them for granted.

What about you?

What are some of God's blessings to you? 

Can you see the blessings as they keep coming in succession?  

I challenge you to click back on the picture above and as the waves flow in in succession, let Him remind you of what benefits He has just today loaded you with! His grace to you is coming in and constantly be renewed by another wave!  There is no limit to the grace that is at your disposal!