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Free in the economy of grace

Grace is extended freely to all who ask it of God. Two millennia ago, God secured the future of grace when He sent His Son to the cross and Jesus rose forever from the dead. I won’t go too deep into that theologically, but Jesus’ death and resurrection forever cemented the availability of grace to all. Jesus became in a sense the love letter attached to the basket of grace left at the sinner’s doorstep on a cold, ravaging night just in time to provide needed sustenance to the starving. But there is no price tag attached or address for recompense. No, it is grace, it is a gift.

Cheap in the economy of grace

Just because grace is free, doesn’t mean it didn’t come at great cost. God had to offer up His Son’s life to pay for our grace. In the economy of grace, the priceless is given away freely. What we could not hope to ever earn was hand delivered to our souls. What we needed now just as much as we need it today was brought straight to us. It found many of us almost before we knew we needed it.

Cheapening the economy of grace

We cheapen the economy of grace when we take grace for granted. When we break God’s heart like there is no tomorrow, only to wake up the next morning to do it all over again, claiming we are forgiven, this is cheapening God’s economy. This licentiousness is the very antithesis of the economy of grace. Though grace came freely, again, it did not come without cost. Just the opposite, grace was very costly. Grace was costly as could be.

Offerings in the economy of grace

While grace is offered freely, it is by no means free. In the economy of grace, there is but one way to give thanks for the gift of grace and it is a lifelong pursuit. We give thanks by living a life loving God and sharing the grace given to us with those around us, family, friends, loved ones, strangers. Yes, the offer is free, but accepting it means giving up your life, friend. Accepting grace means trading life as lasting as a flash of lightning for eternity. But it will most certainly cost you your life.

The economy of grace tells us that our economies of karma and relationship have it all wrong. The economy of grace says that I will give you what cost me dearly, asking nothing in return. Expecting nothing, I give you my most valuable possession. We are free to accept or decline the offer, but accepting will forever change us. Accepting grace sets us on a course that slowly seeks to better understand the value of what we have received and how thankful we really are for being able to receive that gift. Let’s value grace today, friends. Dearly.