grace.

Grace (n.): the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.

What is grace? God has given us His grace through His son, Jesus Christ. Grace is the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. Grace is freely given to any who ask for it. How beautiful is this gift from our Creator?

The eloquent words in the song, "Stand on Grace" by Jimmy Needham explain this concept. Jimmy says that he stands on Jesus's grace. We stand on the freely given love of God, for without His grace, we would surely fall into the habits of the world.

Lately, God has been revealing his emmaculate grace through His Word.

In the book of Genesis, God created the world. He also created Adam to take care of the Garden of Eden. The Lord decided that in order to spare Adam's solidarity, He would take a rib out of Adam and create woman, Eve, from man's flesh, so that eventually, two may become one. The Lord commanded that they may not eat out of the tree of knowledge, yet the serpent deceived Eve so that she may eat from the tree. Eve then gave the forbidden fruit to Adam, and he ate it as well.

"To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'"
Genesis 3:17

God was upset with Adam that he had listened to his wife, though God commanded him otherwise. How many times do we care for our significant other more than God? God wants our entire hearts and He gives us the most unconditional love.

When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, they realized for the first time that they were naked. God had made them unashamed; He had not desired that they would even have to know about the existence of sin. Yet, they ate from the tree of knowledge and were forced to know right from wrong.

Adam and Eve had basically slapped God in the face, yet because they felt shame, He did this:

"The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them."
Genesis 3:21

God's grace is abundant and He showers us in His perfect grace daily. Though they disobeyed Him, He made them clothes. How much grace did the Lord show in this moment? He is painstakingly humble, wholly forgiving, and His love is steadfast.

Over the past few months, I had been living in sin. Internal sin can be much more arduous to rid than external sin, because it can be hidden. The way that the world sees sin is different than the way God sees sin. The world says that if your sins aren't as bad as someone else's sins then you are fine. But the Lord says that all sins are the same. The Lord examines our intentions.

My intentions haven't been Christ-centered but I am changing that around. I cannot stand idly by any longer. God has given me His grace and I need to appreciate His gift. He loves me and I need to spread that Love to others.

He has filled my heart with His grace, my soul yearns to be Christ-like.

Choose Hope.

Choose Joy.

Choose Grace.