Unlimited Grace for You

Scripture – Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Devotion

As a pastor, I have known a few people who have been insulted by the assumption that they need grace in order to be saved. I’ll never forget a man named Dan who insisted that he was good enough to be saved without grace. This insistence came after he had punched his co-worker in anger and lost his job. But Dan still thought that, in the balance, he came out just fine.

I have known many more with the opposite problem. These folk know they can’t save themselves. They readily admit their weakness and sinfulness. They do not believe that God owes them salvation because they are basically good people. Rather, they are overcome by their guilt and shame. Their hearts echo the confession of Psalm 51: “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge” (51:3-4). People like this are not insulted by their inability to save themselves. Rather, they are fearful that even God doesn’t have enough grace to save them. Or they worry that they have exhausted God’s supply of grace.

Ephesians addresses this concern in several places. Chapter 1 celebrates God’s “glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:6). The next verse refers to “the riches of God’s grace” (Ephesians 1:7). In Chapter 2, immediately before saying that we have been saved by grace, Paul mentions “the incomparable riches of [God’s] grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). The Greek word translated here as “incomparable” also means “surpassing, extraordinary, or outstanding.” There is more of God’s grace than you and I could ever comprehend or imagine.

So, if you ever ask, “Does God have enough grace to save even me?” the answer is clear. Yes, absolutely! But not just enough grace, more than enough. You can never use up the grace of God. No matter your failure, no matter your sin, God can and will save you by his glorious, incomparably rich, all-surpassing grace.

This does not mean, by the way, that we should feel free to sin without hesitation. God, in his immeasurable grace, not only forgives our sin, but also works in our hearts to deliver us from the desire to sin. The more we experience grace, the less we will want to spurn the God of grace, and the more we will want to live for God’s glory.

Reflect

Have you ever wondered if you might exhaust God’s grace?

How might the quality of grace as revealed in Ephesians make a difference in your life?

How do you need to experience more of God’s grace today?

Act

If your answer to the last question identified a way (or more than one way) that you need to experience God’s grace today, ask God for this gift. If possible, share your need with a brother or sister in Christ who can agree with you in this prayer.

Pray

Gracious God, all praise be to you because your grace is glorious. All praise be to you, O God, because your grace is incomparably rich. All praise be to you, O God, because your grace surpasses my understanding, my imagination, even my need. All praise be to you, O God, because you have saved me by your grace, your amazing grace. Amen.

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Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the High Calling Archive, hosted by the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: You Can’t Compete With Grace