“In my futile life I have seen everything: someone righteous perishes in spite of his righteousness, and someone wicked lives long in spite of his evil.” (Ecclesiastes 7:15)
Newsflash: Life isn’t fair. Human sin turned our world upside down. Bad things happen to good people.
So, what is God’s response to an unfair universe? Grace. Grace is “unfair” when you think about it – if “fairness” means getting what you deserve. You’ve heard of fighting fire with fire. God fights unfairness with unfairness.
“Who is like the wise person, and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A person’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.” (Ecclesiastes 8:1)
This is a great picture of grace. This is what happens to someone who discovers the true wisdom of righteousness as a gift from God and walks in the fear of the Lord. Notice the four things that happen.
First, grace lets us be who we were created to be. Part of the wonder of grace is that when we come to salvation in Jesus, the Bible says we become “new creations.” Unique. No one like you. You don’t have to be a cheap imitation of anyone. Who is like a the wise person?
Next, grace leads us to meaning. With God’s grace in our lives, we begin to see the explanation and interpretation of life…the big picture begins to unfold for us.
Third, grace gives us joy. Just imagine if we could bottle grace and sell it! Grace makes everybody look better – 10 years younger at least – and it works on everyone because it works from the inside out. When someone has been with God, you can see it all over his or her face.
Finally, grace softens even the hardest people. Have you ever known someone who has fallen under the power of grace and seen the impact of God’s Spirit soften and mellow them? I’ve seen it so many times over the years. They can be as hard as granite, but when God’s grace shows up all that changes.
Life is challenging…things aren’t “fair.” But thank God there’s grace! Most of you reading this know exactly what I’m talking about. Maybe some of you are looking for that, too. God has grace for you.
Join us Sunday, and we’ll discuss it together.
