Yesterday, I was heading to a very needed massage. I left home in plenty of time, just in case I would get behind slow moving equipment or run into a late road construction project. Traveling time is around 1 hour and 15 minutes to arrive at her home. I have had the same massage therapist for 18 years, and I wouldn’t trade her for a million bucks. She keeps my body functioning when sometimes it doesn’t want to function.
I always set my cruise control, as I find myself going faster than I should, even when I am not in a hurry. The four-way stop was ahead, and I dutifully stopped as I should. BUT, when I turned east, I immediately set resume speed. I was still in city limits! I was also talking on the phone to my sister and honestly, I was not paying attention.
It wasn’t long, when I saw the city police officer sitting on the side of the road. And it did not take long for the flashing lights to turn on! He made a u-turn on the highway and followed me to where I had stopped along the side of the road. B_U_S_T_E_D!! I seemed to be flying high — a mere 20 miles over the speed limit!
He was a very nice young man. He asked for my driver’s license, title of the vehicle and of course insurance. When he came back to my vehicle, he handed them back and said, “I am not giving you a speeding ticket, but a warning. I would ask that you please slow down.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! And I never thought to ask why! I was guilty! I deserved a ticket! I broke the law!
As I process through that event, I thought of the gift of grace and how God extends that to us every single day. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”
God’s gift of salvation is given by GRACE. For it is by grace that we are saved, through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Him and His finished work on the Cross is all that is needed. We can access this free gift of salvation by grace…it is the gift of God!
Salvation is the amazing gift of God’s grace and does not have anything to do with us. All that is required of you and me is to believe—Acts16:31 ~ “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” Believe in the finished work of Christ at Calvary, for He died for our sins according to the Scriptures, was buried and rose again according to the Scriptures. Do YOU believe this?
Let us come humbly before the throne of grace, knowing that we are not justified because of our works or worthiness or merit or religiosity or anything else - but because Christ alone is worthy. Praise His Holy Name.