GRACE

They say it means God’s Riches At Jesus Christ’s Expense; And when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. For Grace is so contrary to everything men think. To get something for nothing could drive the world to drink! We’ve all been preconditioned to work for a reward. A sort of mental “fairness”, that means we can’t afford, To see someone get slightly more when equally employed. And if you’re given more than me it makes me most annoyed. So grace is contradictory to everything we know. The world demands equality no matter where we go. But Father isn’t like that; we don’t get equal pay. He does whatever pleases Him in spite of all we say. For grace is not dependent on anything we do. He gives it with abandon to folk like me and you. He says we cannot earn it; it doesn’t work that way. He gives it from the mercy He pours out every day. He says we cannot earn it. The price is far too high. And even if we’re working until the day we die, We don’t have one instalment to pay off the price of sin. The money in the universe can’t fix the mess we’re in. So God took the decision that He would pay the price. Forgiveness was available and given in a trice, To anyone who came to Him, no matter what they’d done; Provided they repented and believed in Christ His Son. He wouldn’t make it difficult for anyone to do. He would give His riches to men like me and you. Perhaps it was the opposite of anything we’d earned. His grace would make it possible in spite of all we’d learned. His grace became the substance of how He treated men. And though they had resisted Him time and time again; Though it was the opposite of what they aught to get; His gift of grace would see that His requirements were met. So grace is given freely to any man alive. There was no way to earn it, no matter how they strived. Regardless of all we’d done His grace would meet the need, Of those who had repented from all their evil deeds. No sin we can imagine that any could commit, Can possibly prevent us, or render us unfit, For being a recipient of His amazing grace; No matter what our standing within the human race. I know I couldn’t earn it and so He gave to me, His grace in its abundance and was absolutely free. Jim Strickland – written Monday, 19 September 2011 God's Riches At Christ's Expense