By Rebecca Thackeray
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
John 1:16 ESV
Grace upon grace — infinite, always, eternal grace, first reaching out to us, and then pouring forth into this world.
Debt. A word that may bring a lot to mind: thoughts of worry or stress, feeling stuck and in need of a miracle, so much so that you start thinking that winning the lottery is the only thing that will save you. No matter what you do or how hard you work, you realise you need saving with an endless source of supply, but who would take pity and invest in a person who is clearly poor?
Friends, whether you associate yourself with this or not, we have all been or are still in this position. The debt that condemns us is our sin, and this deserves punishment. We need to admit that we need saving and that this is not something we achieve through our own works but comes to us through repentance from a humble heart surrendered to Jesus. He is the One for whom there is no debt too big to forgive and who bestows grace upon those who acknowledge their need for Him. However, this grace is not a one-time hit, but ‘from His fullness, we have all received grace upon grace’ (John 1:16). Grace and more grace; favour upon favour; gifts upon more gifts; a grace that is eternal, always overflowing, and endless. How amazing that the grace of Jesus is unending. He has the grace to forgive and save us from death, then even more grace that empowers us to go into the world and share His goodness, a grace that doesn’t require a deposit fee or have an expiry date.
He gives grace because He gave Himself. He is the grace and truth of God the Father, never lacking, true and perfect, who endlessly and eternally reigns within those who need and accept Him with all their heart. ‘But he gives more grace. Therefore, it says ‘’God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’’’ (James 4:6). Jesus works best with empty. Those who recognise they are ‘poor in spirit’ are blessed ‘for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:3). Jesus wants us to realise all we need is Him, that He alone is the solution, and He gives us unexplainable amounts of grace to believe and pursue Him more and more.
Ask: What does it mean to be ‘poor in spirit’?
Seek: How do you respond to the notion that you are helpless and hopeless without Christ?
Knock: Thank you, Father, that You have freely given us all of Yourself through Jesus. Forgive me when there has been pride instead of humility. Thank you that you have saved us from our sin and that Your grace and love have no end. Amen.
(Upper Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash)
(Inner Photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash)
