Because of grace …

There’s no human being alive, or who has ever lived, who has earned or deserves the grace of God.

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard,” Romans 3:23.

And yet, our loving God extends His grace to us anyway …

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners,” Romans 5:8.

It can be easy to get stuck on the first part, seeing our crushing failure as sinners, and realize we’re not as great as we think we are. But that doesn’t rob us of value to God. In the very midst of our sin, He saved us because He loves us!

This great outpouring of grace gives us our value and our hope, as Greg Asimakoupoulos illustrates with a reference from a movie …

In Disney’s animated movie Toy Story, Woody (a toy cowboy) confronts Buzz Lightyear (a toy astronaut) with the fact that he is only an action figure and not really a space hero. Early in the movie Woody shouts, “You’re not a space ranger! You’re an action figure — a child’s plaything.”

Only after failing to fly, Buzz realizes the truth of Woody’s statement. Grief-stricken and disillusioned, Buzz hangs his head in resignation, declaring, “I’m just a stupid, little, insignificant toy.”

Woody later seeks to comfort his friend by underscoring the love of the boy who owns them both. “You must not be thinking clearly. Look, over in that house. There’s a kid who thinks you’re the greatest, and it’s not because you’re a space ranger; it’s because you’re his.”

As Buzz lifts his foot, he sees a label affixed to the bottom of his little shoe. There in black permanent ink is the name of the little boy to whom he belongs. Seeing the name of his owner, Buzz breaks into a smile and takes on a new determination.

Because of grace we, also, should take on a new determination. Because of grace, the entirety of our lives should be lived to the glory of God, and in a manner pleasing to Him. That’s a recurring theme taught by the Apostle Paul, who shines a bright light on the fact that because of grace, who we are and how we live should be radically different …

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God,” Ephesians 4:1.

“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ …” Philippians 1:27a.

“So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better,” Colossians 1:9-10.

This idea of a grace-infused life was described by an unidentified writer who saw this Pauline theme reflected in a movie …

Steven Spielberg’s movie, Saving Private Ryan, tells the story of an Army captain named John Miller (played by Tom Hanks) who in the aftermath of the World War II D-day invasion at Normandy Beach is ordered to find a solitary private among thousands of displaced soldiers. He must return Private James F. Ryan home to his mother, whose other three sons have just been killed in action.

Captain Miller and the small group of men assigned to him successfully locate Ryan, but then are forced to defend a strategic bridge against enemy tanks and troops. Captain Miller is fatally wounded. In his dying moments, he reaches out to Private Ryan, and with great emotion says, “Earn this! Earn this!”

Many years later as an old man, James Ryan stands in a veteran’s cemetery tearfully looking at the tombstone of the man who saved his life. He wonders aloud if he has indeed earned the great gift he received.

We can never earn the gift of salvation Jesus Christ has provided for us, and we can never be worthy of God’s grace. We CAN live a life worthy of our calling, we CAN conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel, and we CAN live in a way that brings honor to, and pleases, God. Paul tells us how …

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect,” Romans 12:1-2.

Are you living a life worthy of your calling from God? Are you conducting yourself in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Are you living in such a way that your life brings honor to, and pleases, God?

Scotty