Never Beyond

 Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of His grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. Every day should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone. - Jerry Bridges

Hardly a week goes by that I do not hear another tragic story of someone falling into sin. They err. People stumble. They fall headlong into the muck and mire of sin. These people hurt themselves and others with their choices. Even on those days God's grace has got us. [I Jn 1:9]

On our best days when we do everything right, we avoid sin and honor God in our choices, we depend on the grace of God to still cover us in righteousness based on grace and not our good works. [Eph 2:8-9] Our redemption is not a result of good works and behavior so that none of us can brag on ourselves. 

We are never beyond grace. Not on our worst days or our best days. We need grace all the time. God's grace is available to us on all occasions. When we blow it and also when we get it right. 

I read a story today that perfectly illustrates grace. A four year old grandson went to visit his grandfather. He loved his grandfather and the grandfather loved his grandson. The grandfather opened up his entire home to the grandson with the exception of some prized fossils he collected over the years. Those were off limits. 

The grandson could not resist sneaking in to take a look at those fossils when nobody was looking. The lure was too great to resist. He reached his tiny fingers to take hold of one to get a closer look. You know what happened. He dropped it and it shattered on the floor. 

When the grandfather heard the crash, he came into the room to investigate. The grandson trembled in fear and remorse. He quivered expecting the wrath of his grandfather. The little lad never expected what happened next. The grandfather strode over to the youngster and picked him up. He held him close to his chest and never said a word. He didn't have to. The hug said it all. I love you. I forgive you. I am not angry with you. I do not hold this against you. That action personified grace. 

That little four year old grandson is now a forty year old father of three, pastor of a large church, and a bestselling author. He wrote that reaction by his grandfather showed him the power of grace. In the same way, God does that for His children all the time. He picks us up after our blunders and rebellious acts to forgive and restore us. The power of grace truly is amazing. Without it none of us would ever be able to relate to God. With it we are forever humbled that we have received what we do not deserve and can never earn. We are never beyond grace.