What grace means to me...Part 1

The idea of grace has always baffled me even with a simple definition. I don't think you can fully understand grace until you have experienced it. I am not talking about when we as humans give each other grace. I am speaking about God's grace-Charis (Greek) for free, undeserved or unearned! Not only did God give grace to many in the bible but He still gives us grace today.

David slept with a married woman, got her husband killed in battle to cover it up, took a census of Israel (this was a sin against God), attempted to move the Ark on his own without God's leading and even after ALL of that disobedience or sin, David confessed and God gave huge grace (and forgiveness. How? Well,David's son, Solomon became the next King over Israel (David's family line is direct to Jesus himself)WOW, talk about grace! David was in charge of preparing and planning the materials that would be used to build God's Temple and 1 Chron. 29 says,"He died at a ripe old age, having enjoyed a long life, wealth, and honor.

David never stopped loving the Lord and the Lord never stopped loving David. Grace is also God's love, but I still cannot comprehend fully God's grace even though I understand it.

I also see God's grace like compassion/understanding because He knows we are gonna sin and He knows we are going to need His grace to get through the consequences of that bad choice we made. God may have allowed David to experience the consequences of his actions (David's affair cost him one of his son's lives and his household was in turmoil a lot, also not asking God how to move the Ark properly cost Uzzah's his life), but God NEVER withheld his forgiveness, love or grace!! He never abandoned David for one minute.

I am guilty of believing even now occasionally that God will not be able to stand me after what I just did...that somehow this will be the sin that will end any grace but I know that is a lie. I know someone who always thinks that every time they make a bad choice that God will do something to them (that is punishment) and actually not all sin gets an obvious consequence.

When I wasn't following God (even though I was a christian), when I was doing relationships with men my way, I did not receive God's blessings and many of those relationships were unhealthy. I did feel God's protection and I did see God's grace because he chose to still give me my hubby, Chris and helped me to realize that I needed to rely on Christ not men to make me whole and happy.

Well, that is a little bit of what grace means to me...What about you?