Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2 NKJV)

Grace or Peace?

Which comes first – grace or peace? No, this isn’t a bad Siri joke like the one with the chicken and the egg (I ordered them from Amazon. I’ll let you know.).

Paul orders grace first in this verse and twelve others for a reason. (See Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:2; Titus 1:4; Philemon 1:3.) Grace must be experienced before you can know God’s peace. Peace always follows grace.

What is Grace?

The word grace comes from the Greek word charis, which means “favor” and “gift.” When God is gracious to us, He gives us His favor. We can’t earn it. And we certainly don’t deserve it.

Hands down, the biggest demonstration of God’s grace was making a way for all of our sins to be forgiven. As it tells us in Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV), “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” It’s only because of God’s favor and gift that we can be forgiven and have a relationship with Him.

By using grace as an acronym, we have an excellent shorthand for remembering what it means. Grace =

God’s

Riches

Christ’s

Expense

Experiencing God’s Grace

Do you remember when you first accepted God’s free gift of salvation? I do. When I experienced His grace – the forgiveness of my sins, knowing I didn’t deserve it – His peace washed over me. It was the most amazing day of my life.

So, the question is: Have you decided yet? Have you received His grace? If you haven’t, I urge you to wait no longer. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Christ’s dying on the cross for our sins in the pièce de résistance of God’s grace. Yet, He is gracious to us in so many ways. As you count your blessings, you’ll see and experience His grace.

God gives us so many things we don’t deserve. Day after day, He blesses us. He’s the giver of good things. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:17 NKJV).

So, if you’re looking for peace, remember God’s grace in your life. Set up your Ebenezer Stones of how God has been good to you. Then, you’ll be able to experience His peace as you walk by faith with Him.

Photo by Artem Sapegin on Unsplash