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Monday, February 28, 2011

Seventy Bucks worth of Grace


And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11 (New American Standard Bible)

It’s always interesting how the things we preach often wind up being the very things we have to practice. Such is the way of grace. I had a case in point just this past week. Some unscrupulous person put a virus on my computer. The thing popped up without warning and the estimate by my local computer store to remove it was seventy dollars, minimum.

As I was working to get my system back I sat drumming my fingers on my desk doing the slow burn. All the thoughts from “If these people would use their intelligence and talent for good” to “May the fleas of a thousand camels infest this guy’s armpits” ran through my mind. As I sat contemplating a good round of justice the thought suddenly came to mind, “Jesus died for this guy, too.” A lot of my steam vented at that instant as I thought of the things I’ve done in my life and to others that have brought grief and unhappiness. There is none righteous, no not one.

Fortunately my big brother is in town and he is a walking computer guru. With his help I got my machine back on track for just the hours involved. My “seventy bucks” didn’t go very far in delivering the grace that was merited toward this person. The person who was responsible for this transgression toward many computer users is still loved by Christ and His blood was shed for him too. In the case of grace given to you and me it didn’t cost God seventy dollars; it cost Him His Only Begotten Son. That grace is the gift that keeps on giving; wave upon wave upon wave of continuing favor. No recriminations and no fleas please. Granting grace mirrors the very nature of our Lord Jesus Christ and when it comes down to it there is no price one can put on that.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com