Grace? She passed away 30 years ago

Every Christmas my wife and I watch the classic movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. The movie is a good portrait of how family at the holidays can bring joy, and also make things very difficult. There is one scene in the movie where the character Aunt Bethany, who is very elderly, is asked to say Grace. She then, when asked, hilariously says, “Grace? She passed away 30 years ago.” 

While the scene is for sure hilarious, it kinda makes me wonder: Do I truly understand grace the right way in my own life? While Grace is something that I sing about or even pray for, the truth is I’m not always sure what Grace actually is. In real honesty, my first thought about grace is salvation, and while that is a product of it, there is so much more to it. So let’s take a look at what Grace actually is and see what Gods word has to say to us about it. 

In 2 Timothy Chapter 2 verse 1 we see: You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

So a little context here: Paul has just finished telling Timothy about the people who have deserted him, so he’s reminding Timothy to be strengthened by Christ and to stay focused on Jesus no matter the circumstances. So this brings us back to our original conversation about grace because, in my thinking, this isn’t about salvation, so why did Paul bring it up? Because Paul understood that grace, which is defined as unmerited or unearned favor, means more than just salvation; it is a gift from God that we need to be able to live out the Christian life. Because, see, the truth is we will never be at a place where our own abilities or strength will be able to carry us through the good times or the bad.

Paul understood that staying focused on and strengthened by this grace through Jesus meant that we stay wholly dependent on him, not just for our salvation, but for survival in this world. See, the reality is that it’s only by Gods grace that we even have the ability to not be prideful in the good times, but also to be joyful in Him in the bad times. So today, I invite you to be strengthened by Gods unearned favor that is found in Christ Jesus alone and know that grace isn’t just something in your past; it’s for today and the future. 

"God helps those who cannot help themselves." - C. H. Spurgeon

Today, if you don’t know Jesus, I invite you to accept through grace the salvation that you need to save your life. God isn’t waiting for you to clean yourself up; he just wants you to come to Him as you are and know the salvation through grace that He gave His life for.