We are not just saved by grace, so that we can barely make it into heaven. Being saved by grace is only the doorway into all the wonderful things that God has for us. Through the ages to come, throughout all eternity, forever and ever, our Heavenly Father will be expressing to us the riches – the exceeding, immeasurable, limitless, surpassing riches – of His wonderful, unmerited, undeserved, free grace and favor as He reveals and extends to us, His goodness and His kindness: “so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:7)

We cannot even begin to comprehend, with our limited mental abilities as people, the love that our Father has for us. We cannot comprehend the riches of His grace and favor and goodness and kindness. Many people do not believe that God loves them and wants to bless them, but even those who do believe it, have a hard time grasping the unlimitedness of God’s love and grace toward them. We feel that we are not worthy, and so we accept only little tidbits at a time of His love and grace and favor, but it has absolutely nothing to do with being worthy, and everything to do with how He feels about us.

He wants to show us His favor and He wants to bless us – not because of any worthiness on our part, but simply because that is the nature of the love of God. He loves the undeserving – He showers blessings on the undeserving. God blesses us because of His nature and in spite of ours. It makes no difference how we feel about it – it is so anyway. If you can even begin to understand free grace and unmerited favor, you will realize what a slap it is in God’s face for men to think that they should, or even could, earn His favor.

It is impossible to pay this debt we owe to God. The debt was paid in the blood of Jesus – far too high a price for us to earn, even over a lifetime. The best we can do is realize the price has been paid and humbly and sincerely and wholeheartedly receive our free gift, knowing that we will never be able to repay it. Realizing the extent of God’s love and blessing – even though completely undeserved – causes us to want to serve Him, to love Him and obey Him. He paid so high a price – the very least we can do is give Him everything we are and everything we have as He continues to pour out on us and show us His love and His kindness throughout all eternity and the ages to come. “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Rom. 2:4)

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