A Little Space of Grace

“And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage” (Ezra 9:8).

I’m not sure what it is about a certain man that stirs a friend’s dislike, but in her opinion he is not trustworthy. To be honest, even to me his smile seems a little false, as do some of his mannerisms. Yet—I really don’t know enough about him to determine his integrity. Time, I assume, will tell. My friend, however, has already passed judgment. She demanded of me, “Why doesn’t God just zap him?” With a smile, I looked at her and replied, “It’s called grace.”

Where would any of us be without grace? Grace is often defined as the unmerited favor of God. This is so true. But God’s Word reveals so much more about the depths of its meaning. Here are just a few of the verses that describe God’s wonderful grace.

• Grace is a gift—neither bought nor earned. (Read Ephesians 4:7.)
• Grace caused God to love us even while we were still sinners. (Read Romans 5:8-10.)
• Grace justifies us before God. (Read Titus 3:7.)
• Grace provides access to God. (Read Hebrews 4:16.)
• Grace empowers us to live a holy life. (Read Titus 2:11-14.)

We could study God’s grace for many days without ever learning all there is to know. What I do understand is this: it’s for me . . . for you . . . for everyone!

The verse in Ezra quoted above refers to a little space of grace. God has given us a window of opportunity—a little space—to avail ourselves of His grace, to accept this free gift. Yes, as my friend suggested, God could just “zap” us and forget us. After all, we have all sinned and fallen short of His glory (Romans 3:23). Instead, God loves us, imperfect as we are, and desires to empower us to live a holy life. His grace allows us the opportunity to become all we can be through Him.

Take advantage of the space He has given you to accept His gift of grace.

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7, English Standard Version).

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for allowing me a window of time to accept Your grace. I know I am a sinner, and it is only because of Your gift of grace that I can find salvation through You. Thank You for loving me when I was unlovable. I am forever grateful for the work You are doing in my life today. I am as far on my journey as I am because You offered me grace.