Grace is often one-sided

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Be gracious, even when others aren’t”

Our Bible verse for today: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 (NASB)

Our thought for today: “Grace is often one-sided”

Grace is a demonstration of love that is undeserved, unearned, and unconditional. That’s how God deals with us and that’s how we are to deal with others. So, if we are to be gracious to others in the manner that God is gracious to us it will mean that we intentionally act towards others with love and grace whether they deserve to be treated that way or not.

Now that’s tough! I can easily be gracious with those who are gracious with me. It’s not hard to be nice to a nice person. But it’s much harder to show grace to a knucklehead who I would really like to choke rather than bless. Likewise, it’s easy and even fulfilling to do something kind and generous for a person who is appreciative and who makes me feel good in return. But it’s disappointing to go out of my way to do a good deed for someone only to have them shrug it off or not show proper appreciation. My human nature will certainly make me less inclined to do something like that for them in the future.

But grace isn’t picky or conditional like that. Grace is often one-sided. Grace depends not on the receiver of grace but on the giver of grace. God is gracious because grace is who He is. It’s simply part of His nature. Likewise, we should be gracious not because the other person deserves it but because it’s simply who we are as a spiritually mature Christian.

In Micah 6:8 the prophet describes intentional actions taken by a faithful person, and it says nothing about the recipient of such actions deserving to be treated that way. You do it because of who you are not because of who they are. You do it because you obey God and follow His commands. You do it because that’s what Jesus did and as a Christian you want to be like Him.

Grace is often one-sided and that can make it hard – unless of course that kind of graciousness has been worked into your personality by the Holy Spirit to the point that you do it simply because it’s your nature to do so. In that case grace is easy, even if it is one-sided.

Be gracious to others today, even if they don’t deserve it and even if they are not gracious back.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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