Grace upon Grace

"For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." John 1:16 (ESV)

From His fullness. God gives out of His abundance. We receive grace upon grace. Unmerited favor. I don't deserve it and neither do you.

I can't do anything for it. I can't be enough, do enough, give enough, or offer Him anything, because He doesn't need anything. God is not losing anything to give to me out of His abundance. He has no lack. As He gives, there is no less of Him to offer. He is pleased to give to me, His beloved.

My job? To receive. To accept the "grace upon grace" He so freely offers from the very fullness of what He always is. My Jesus is always the same. Scripture affirms this:

"Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

That sounds easy in theory. He offers freely. Freely I receive it. In other areas of my life a free thing is as uncomplicated as finding cash lying on the sidewalk.

Would I ever just pass by money on the pavement? No! I'm the one who subscribes to the philosophy that even pennies put with other pennies add up to something that spends. Any amount is of inestimable value and can be used to procure something else I want or need.

So, with that foundational philosophy in place, what is my problem with accepting what the God of the Universe offers freely? I wake up every day with the same struggle in my heart. I have to intentionally choose whether I will accept it . . . over and over again. Somehow it seems like something difficult for me to believe. Every. Day.

How He must wonder at my reticence and hesitation. He openly holds out His hands with the free gift offered--no strings, no cost, no lack on His part whatsoever. I am not depleting His store. I am taking nothing but what comes from His bottomless, boundless abundance. He immediately replenishes what He gives, because He is God. He is all-powerful, and I cannot understand His ways.

Again, my only job is to receive. May I open my hands wide today, knowing He gives bountifully, grace upon grace out of the fullness He alone can give.

Choose today to join me in receiving. You, too, are His beloved, and the gift is FREE. Would any of us walk away from anything else FREE? Especially when we know this to be true of His gifts:

"All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change." James 1:17 (NET)

We can rest assured in this truth. His gifts are generous. His gifts are perfect. There is no variation or slightest hint of change. There is no bait and switch. He does not delight in scamming us or mocking us. He gives perfectly and is always the same.

Rest in that with me today and freely receive what He has offered, grace upon grace.


Leaving a trail of beauty