As each year passes, I am confronted again and again by the wonder of sovereign grace. Sovereign in that He is God over all, and that nothing happens outside of His power, knowledge, and control. Grace in the fact that He would in any way bestow anything good on a sinner such as me. Grace...undeserved favor from a holy God.
We are totally unable to do anything that would merit that grace. We will never be "good enough" for it. We cannot, by force of will or self-discipline, live in a manner that would make God feel obligated to show grace to us. "Free will" can and will always lead us towards all of the things that sin brings out in us. Selfishness. Greed. Anger. Self-righteousness. Lust. Pride. It's a long list, but none of those things bring us the right to receive God's favor. But He gives it to us anyway. In fact, the very desire to serve God comes from God. It is the ultimate gift of grace. The want to, to want to, if you will.
How astounding is this? How can it not bring us to our knees? How can we ever lift our eyes in pride and self-sufficiency?
“They who truly come to God for mercy, come as beggars, and not as
creditors: they come for mere mercy, for sovereign grace, and not for
anything that is due” - Jonathan Edwards
John Piper writes the following:
" Therefore, the mercy and the sovereignty of God are the twin pillars
of my life. They are the hope of my future, the energy of my service,
the center of my theology, the bond of my marriage, the best medicine in
all my sickness, the remedy of all my discouragements. And when I come
to die (whether soon or late) these two truths will stand by my bed and
with infinitely strong and infinitely tender hands lift me up to God."
I just love that! Indeed God's sovereign grace is an anchor for our lives.
As the year 2017 begins it is my prayer that you and I will be engulfed by the wonder of His sovereign grace. Happy New Year indeed!
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