I recently read the book of Micah, and I found myself, again, convicted of my personal waywardness from the Lord. Our tendency towards self–reliance and self-sufficiency is clearly a central theme of Scripture, but even more so is the grace of God!
In the book of Micah, after revealing to Israel their rebelliousness, Micah concludes his book with these words: “Who is a God like Thee, and who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever….He will again have compassion on us.” Micah 7:18-19
So, who is like our God? Who would have compassion on a faithless and rebellious people? The answer is…Our God! Our God is a God of compassion, mercy and grace! Our God is faithful when we are faithless! There is none like our God….His grace is amazing!
So, we glory in God’s grace with a heart of humility and gratitude for his abundant pardon, but to stop there is to miss the mark! The Apostle Paul exhorts us to not view the grace of God in vain, but to allow it to deeply grip our hearts to live Godly lives that honor Him: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age,” (Titus 2: 11-12). The only appropriate response to God’s grace is to lives our lives in humble surrender to Him. We miss the mark when we settle for anything less!
God’s amazing grace changes everything! May we allow His grace to change us for His Glory!