GRACE!

Today I experienced grace for the "first" time!  I was driving to school to teach violin lessons, and I was running late.  Passing a 40 mph sign I somehow began accelerating nonetheless.  A minute or so later I found myself thinking, "the speed limit has to be 55 by now!"  As I rounded a corner I saw a red car pulled over, it didn't look like a police car, but it still made me wonder.  Before I knew it the car had pulled around and I had flashing lights behind me.  I felt like crying, and I wanted to tell the police that I had never been pulled over before, but I politely answered his questions.  My feelings must have been written all over my face, (I don't hide my emotions very well).  "So do you know why I pulled you over?", the officer asked me.  "I was going too fast".  (I couldn't even use the proper term-"I was speeding", which might have sounded better...oh well!)  "You were driving 55 in a 40", he informed me.  He asked to see my drivers' license.  "Are you a student at Southern?"  "Yes", I replied.  "So what are you in a hurry for?"  "I'm running late to work." "Where do you work?"  I'm told him what elementary school I was headed to.  "I know where that's at", he replied.  "Well do me a favor, and slow down, it's 40 mph here and up ahead it drops to 35 mph. And hope you enjoy your work."  "I will do that" I assured him, "Thank you so much!"  And that was it!  

As I drove away it struck me that I had just been a recipient of grace.  It was hard not to keep back the tears!  That was close!  I was going 15 miles over the speed limit, the police had all rights to write me out a ticket!  And yet he had let off the hook without even a written warning!  The moment I realized I was being pulled over, my imagination went to the ticket I was going to have to pay, and "wait, I'm still under 21, does that mean I would have to go back to drivers school?  Or was that just for when I was under 18 with a license?  What would the implications be, besides a low bank account, I really can't afford that right now!"  I knew full well what I deserved, but grace had given me the exact opposite.  This week in Christian Beliefs and Christian Spirituality we have been studying salvation.  I couldn't help but think of the amazing grace that God has for us.  "The law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound...."  Romans 5:20.  The words of one of my favorite hymns comes to mind: "Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!  Yonder on Calvary's mount out poured-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!"

  This afternoon, grace took on a newer meaning to me. I always had the theoretical knowledge of grace, but now I knew the experience!  How many times have I failed,  "the evil which I would not that I do." (Romans  7:24).  Even my original motives for seeking Christ were not pure.  But His grace sought me out before I knew Him, "But God commended His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8.  It's one thing for the police to not write you out a ticket, but what if he had to pay the ticket for me?  He had never even met me before.  "For scarcely for a righteous man some would die..."  Romans 5:7.  The implications of what Christ did for me are infinitely greater than the mercy that I was shown this afternoon, but even that warmed my heart!  O the matchless, amazing love, and wondrous grace and mercy my heavenly Father has for me!  

Grace is truly a mystery, even Paul says so.  "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote before in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is nor revealed...."  Ephesians 3:2-5.  Truly Christ revealed unto us the greatest mystery of grace, a gift, a privilege, a power to keep us from falling back into the same issues, something I totally don't deserve, but freely given out of love.  Paul wrote to the Galatians and told them, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ..."  Galatians 1:6.  

"O Father help me to not run from your grace!  May I value it for what it is and live in it, and not make it into cheap grace!  Thank you for grace!"