Several years ago, I took part in an Easter Outreach with a local church. For several hours, we drove through local neighborhoods delivering a potted plant and asking people if we could pray for them. No donation, no “hey, come to my church” speeches.  We just wanted to bless the folks of our neighborhoods. The response was….. well, unexpected.

Many people were shocked and asked questions like, “Are you selling them?  Do you want a donation,” and other such questions.  The bottom line was, “Why? I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”  Some were almost afraid to accept the gift, for fear that they would also be accepting some type of commitment.  This was really an eye-opener to me.

How is it that such a “churched” nation as ours, with a church on every corner, is afraid of accepting a truly free gift?  Isn’t Christianity based on “grace through faith”?  Or, have we re-defined both what grace means and what it means to be a Christian?

What is grace, really?  I learned, as a young Christian, that grace stood for “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.”  It seems simple enough, but very profound. Grace is something that we are given that we do not deserve.  It goes beyond “mercy” (where we don’t get what we do deserve).  Grace is “God’s riches”.  “Riches, did you say?”  The Bible does say that we have been given God’s riches.

We were bound for hell, but now we are given Heaven.

We were condemned, but now we are declared righteous and holy.

We were aliens and cut off from God, but now we are adopted as sons and daughters.

We were in bondage to the power of sin and death, but now we are set free in Christ.

We were dead in our sins, but now we are made alive in Christ.

We were under the wrath of God, but now we have peace with our Father.

We were under the law bound by its rules, but now we are under grace, free to serve Christ.

Can this really be free?  Don’t I have to do something to show God I’m worthy of it?  If that’s the way you are thinking, I have bad news for you.  You can’t ever do anything that is worth enough to earn the grace of God.  The truth is we are just not good enough to earn the grace of God.

Why?  Because to do that, we would have to be perfect.  I don’t mean 98%, 99%, or even 99.999% perfect.  I mean 100% perfect, spotless and blameless.  And I don’t know about you, but I fall somewhat short of that–okay, WAY short.

But guess what?  That’s GOOD news!  If we were perfect and got everything right, we would only get what we deserve.  But Father gives us FAR more than we would ever deserve, even if we kept the demands of the law.  That’s grace.  That’s going over and beyond.  That’s showering us with affection.  That’s like asking for a bicycle for Christmas and getting a Porsche (or insert the model of your favorite car here).

Why are we so scared of grace?  Knowing that grace is an absolutely free, can’t-earn-it-if-you-tried gift, why do we shy away from it?  Perhaps because it makes us seem weak and vulnerable, like we are helpless and can’t do anything.  I have news for you, if you feel that way.  You’re right!

In reality, we are “as little children”.  We wouldn’t even be able to take our next breath without Father.  The Bible calls our attempt at righteousness “as filthy rags.”  We think we score about a 75%, 85% or more on God’s test, when, in reality, it’s far less.  

And, sometimes we think we’re just “sick” and need a little help.  Not so! The Bible says we were “dead”.  A dead man can do nothing to help his situation.   That’s as true of us.  We really cannot do anything to help our situation.  Even our attempts at self-righteousness fall short.

I know…. I know…. we don’t like to hear that kind of talk.  Maybe you’ve been raised on the Bible verse that says, “God helps them who help themselves.”  (No, it’s not in there!), or the more familiar Americanism, “Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.”  In reality, our bootstraps are broken, and we can’t help ourselves.

We fear vulnerability because we fear being weak.  But Father says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).  Wait, His what?  His grace is sufficient for us, and our weakness shows His great power and love for us.

Why does He want to shower us with His grace?  Because that is His nature.  He wants to give us more than we can ever ask, think or imagine.  He loves us THAT much!  No matter what we do, it will never be enough to earn His grace.  But His grace is more than enough for us to hold on to.

So, in the moment of weakness, which will you choose?  To “buck up” and suck it up?  Or will you climb on Father’s lap and cry out to Him for more of His grace?