Crushed by Grace
Have you ever had the experience of being completely overwhelmed by God’s love? Have you felt that the events in your life are almost crushing because His grace is so sweet? I love to watch the Extreme Home Makeover Show that gives a truly needy family an outrageously beautiful brand new home. Sometimes the family members fall to the floor when they receive the free gift of a home that has been built just for them. That is what I think of being crushed by grace. If you know what that feels like spiritually, you are blessed. If you haven’t ever felt so overwhelmed by God’s love, please know that God’s grace will amaze and overpower you as you walk with Him and open your heart to receiving all He has for you.
My husband called me the other day with news of another way that God had surprisedus with an unexpected blessing. That’s when he described what he felt asbeing crushed by God’s grace. That is a strange way to put it,but it is so very true.
When I let myself ponder the grace of the cross, I am even more deeply crushedby the grace that flows from it more than any material gift that I could be given.Jesus was crucified in spite of the fact that He was the only human who neversinned. He was nailed there not because of anything He had done wrong. Couldanyone ever be in need of any more grace than to be forgiven of their sin? Isthere a need for God to offer more grace? Maybe not, but He does. Especiallyin our hard times, God’s grace will break through.
John 1:16 says, From the fullness of his grace we have all receivedone blessing after another. The ultimate grace is Jesus Christ Himself andHis world transforming death that brought reconciliation between man and God.But that is not all the grace God wants to give. Jesus was as full of grace,as John 1:14 says, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father,full of grace and truth. Jesus is the source of grace that explodes fromthe cross and extends to our everyday lives.
If you feel distant from the slogan crushed by grace, I have an idea for you.Choose a time where you can block out an hour to simply meditate on the crossof Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit, your personal Grace Tutor, to help you enterinto the reality of the cross so you too can become crushed by grace. He mightlead you to think about all the people that were present there and take the roleof someone close by, a thief, a Roman guard, one of the Women, or the ApostleJohn. Another way He may lead you is to meditate on each of Jesus’ wounds.You may start at His feet or His head and, more deeply than you have ever done,see and feel His grace flowing from each of those wounds.
It is indeed a true statement that I have been crushed by God’s grace.I still need His help to realize the fullness of grace I have been given. I hopeyou are crushed by grace very soon. Respond to Dr. Newman's article |
