Dependent on Grace

One of the things which has been pounded into my head and heart in these years of following Christ is that we are truly a grace dependent people.  In the beginning it is easy to make the mistake of many others who have gone before us and give what we do a place of prominence that it does not deserve.  Certainly, this is not to say that our acts of service, our acts of kindness, or our acts of worship are unimportant.  Instead, it is to declare that our life with God does not begin, nor is it sustained by what we do.  The beginning point of the whole God-human relationship is God' grace.   

The Apostle Paul points us to this in that oft quoted verse from Ephesians:  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God..." (Ephesians 2:8).  We had nothing to do with being given life in our mother's womb.  Neither can we guarantee that our life will extend beyond the next breath.  Being given life and being given breath is a gift as is our salvation.  We do nothing to earn it.  It is a gift from our creator which as we know is a definition of grace.   

As the years have added up to a greater number than so many of my friends, I know that I am not here because of a better diet, or taking better care of myself, but simply because for some unknown reason God has chosen to give me the gift of these years.  Putting my feet on the floor each morning is a gift and breathing the air I am about to breathe is a gift.  Knowing Him in my life each day is a gift.  Life is all about God and all about God's grace.  It is hard to imagine anyone living and coming to a different conclusion.