One of the saddest realizations to me is that I’ve wasted so much time devoted to meaningless causes, pursuits and empty words. I imagine that somehow, some day I might actually make wise use of the provisions and time and gifts that God has, by His grace, afforded me. Days are running quickly together into weeks and months and years. Like a rope that is tied to a boat holding my life’s treasures, the rope has slipped through my hands, and the stream of time has carried all that I have done and left undone with it, downstream, out of my reach, without any prospect of recovery. Each day adds to the loss. Things I wanted to say, wanted to do, wanted to give have gone unsaid, undone and never given. Were it not for grace, all would be lost. But by grace, there is a full recovery, and more.
Hear the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Psalms 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
Is it too much to attribute to the grace of God to restore all that I, by transgression, iniquity and sin, have lost? Is it too much to ask of the Father of glory to do exceeding abundantly far above all that I ask or think, and to actually restore more than I have lost?
Consider the Prodigal son, and consider the Father’s Almighty grace to him in the Lord Jesus Christ. The son disdained his Father’s house, left with his Father’s goods and wickedly squandered all that his Father gave him in riotous living. He is brought to himself. He returns to his Father. His Father sees him while he is a long way off. His Father runs to him. He embraces him. He falls on his neck and begins to kiss him. He does not stop, but continues embracing and kissing. There is a long period of gladness in his Father's arms. His Father calls for the best robe, Christ's righteousness, to be put on him. He calls for the ring of eternal love to be put on his finger. He calls for the shoes of peace established by Christ's blood and the Way of peace in the gospel to be put on his feet. And he commands His servants (gospel ministers) to preach Christ crucified as all of his salvation to his once lost son, his once dead son, his now found and alive again son! All that was lost is more than restored! He is his Father’s son. He is convinced by his Father that all that was lost is now more than restored. He is brought back. His life is restored to him. His sonship, born out of eternal election, and his predestination to adoption in Christ, which when he was living in profligacy seemed to be lost, is now revealed to him as eternally secured. Within his Father's embrace, with his Father's best gifts, with the robe of His Father's own choosing and acceptance, he is assured now in his own bosom that now, there is no condemnation, now he is seated in the place of favor and acceptance. His Father spares no expense. He carries no grudge. He wants no repayment because Christ has compensated all to him for His once lost son. His Father is overjoyed. He calls for all of His servants on earth and in heaven to join with Him in the celebration. There will be great feasting, music and dancing such as was never known. There will be joy in the presence of the angels in heaven. His Father will proclaim and make known to all of the universe that this is his son, fully restored, better than if he had ever strayed away. The lost son will be eternally secure in his Father’s house, for no one is able to snatch him out of his Father’s hand.
Truly, we are instructed by the predeterminate counsel and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23) to not be angry with ourselves, for though we meant all for evil, God meant all for good. (Romans 8:28; Genesis 45:5-8; 50:20) Can we ever, even now, find any cause in ourselves apart from Christ for God to be gracious to us? Do we not even now intend evil in all our ways (Matthew 7:11)? Yet, God graciously turns us to Christ and causes us to confess 'There is nothing in me! I have sinned against heaven and before Thee!' And that's where we have to leave it. But God! In Christ, God is able to make all grace abound toward you. He more than restores what we lost and continue to lose.
-- Rick Warta
Hear the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Psalms 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away.
Is it too much to attribute to the grace of God to restore all that I, by transgression, iniquity and sin, have lost? Is it too much to ask of the Father of glory to do exceeding abundantly far above all that I ask or think, and to actually restore more than I have lost?
Consider the Prodigal son, and consider the Father’s Almighty grace to him in the Lord Jesus Christ. The son disdained his Father’s house, left with his Father’s goods and wickedly squandered all that his Father gave him in riotous living. He is brought to himself. He returns to his Father. His Father sees him while he is a long way off. His Father runs to him. He embraces him. He falls on his neck and begins to kiss him. He does not stop, but continues embracing and kissing. There is a long period of gladness in his Father's arms. His Father calls for the best robe, Christ's righteousness, to be put on him. He calls for the ring of eternal love to be put on his finger. He calls for the shoes of peace established by Christ's blood and the Way of peace in the gospel to be put on his feet. And he commands His servants (gospel ministers) to preach Christ crucified as all of his salvation to his once lost son, his once dead son, his now found and alive again son! All that was lost is more than restored! He is his Father’s son. He is convinced by his Father that all that was lost is now more than restored. He is brought back. His life is restored to him. His sonship, born out of eternal election, and his predestination to adoption in Christ, which when he was living in profligacy seemed to be lost, is now revealed to him as eternally secured. Within his Father's embrace, with his Father's best gifts, with the robe of His Father's own choosing and acceptance, he is assured now in his own bosom that now, there is no condemnation, now he is seated in the place of favor and acceptance. His Father spares no expense. He carries no grudge. He wants no repayment because Christ has compensated all to him for His once lost son. His Father is overjoyed. He calls for all of His servants on earth and in heaven to join with Him in the celebration. There will be great feasting, music and dancing such as was never known. There will be joy in the presence of the angels in heaven. His Father will proclaim and make known to all of the universe that this is his son, fully restored, better than if he had ever strayed away. The lost son will be eternally secure in his Father’s house, for no one is able to snatch him out of his Father’s hand.
Truly, we are instructed by the predeterminate counsel and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23) to not be angry with ourselves, for though we meant all for evil, God meant all for good. (Romans 8:28; Genesis 45:5-8; 50:20) Can we ever, even now, find any cause in ourselves apart from Christ for God to be gracious to us? Do we not even now intend evil in all our ways (Matthew 7:11)? Yet, God graciously turns us to Christ and causes us to confess 'There is nothing in me! I have sinned against heaven and before Thee!' And that's where we have to leave it. But God! In Christ, God is able to make all grace abound toward you. He more than restores what we lost and continue to lose.
-- Rick Warta
"Were it not for grace, I can tell you where I'd be
Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere
With my salvation up to me, I know how that would go
The battles I would face forever running but losing the race
Were it not for grace." -- Larnelle Harris
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