Flipping the Bill

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. – Ephesians 2:8-9

In my elementary school years I remember getting into a scrap with another kid because he had made fun of the way I looked. In many ways I felt quite different in my class being the only kid with an Asian face. But that day, I had enough of kids taunting me and calling me names. I finally snapped. The kid who had been calling at me and shouting names from the back of the classroom when the teacher was absent, making fun of my eyes, calling me “rice boy” had finally pushed that last button. It was one more added stress point when I found out my math test results didn’t seem fare as well as I hoped. I got up out of my seat, marched straight to the back and punched him straight in the face as hard as I could with my tiny hands. I gave him a bleeding nose and broke his glasses at the same time (luckily not permanently damaging his eye or knocking him out). Boy, I was in for some trouble. Even if the boy said some seriously derogatory remarks to me, I was still required to pay for his glasses. But what sort of money did I have as an elementary school kid? At the time this was devastating for my family who was barely struggling to feed me and send me to school. I was so scared of what my parents would say and do, but to my surprise, my father came in to the office, defended my position, and payed the bill. You could image how guilty I felt to my father.

The Grace of God is the same way for us. We’ve taken matters into our own hands in many moments and times of life. We’ve done things our way, the way we wanted them to, and often we mess up quite badly. We’ve also outright rebelled against God and sinned against him. Yet, his Grace is the most humbling characteristic about God. He saves us while we are still sinners. He loves us when we may well deserve to be hated. He even flips the bill when we’ve made a huge mess of things. That is God’s love for you and I, no matter how much it hurts him to watch us do what we do to him and others around us.

If you feel this Grace would be conditional to you, it isn’t. He is in every way unconditional for you. If there is shame in your life to bring your problems to him, put it before him and let him show you today how his love for you covers all magnitudes of sin, and that his holy blood was used as payment for it all.

If there is any claim of a gift out there better than that, then I can attest that it does no exist. Be blessed today knowing this gift of love for you.

One Year Bible (oneyearbibleonline.com):

Exodus 4:1-5:21
Matthew 18:1-20
Psalm 22:19-31
Proverbs 5:15-21