The Ruthless Invitation Of Grace

John 3:16 (NIV) —

‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in his shall not perish but have eternal life.’

Ruthless invitation of grace may sound like a strange title, but I think it focuses our hearts and minds on the compelling reason for our surrender of self.

The Father has spared nothing in his pursuit of us, his devotion to you and me has been relentless: the cost of giving up his ‘self-interest’ was death on a cross. John tells us ‘For God so loved the World, that he gave his only Son’. Jesus, the Son, tells us that ‘greater love has no one than that he lays down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13), and this is what Jesus went on to do.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus ‘for the joy set before him endured the cross’ (12:2). He did it for us.

Paul in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus writes about the extravagant invitation of grace, a grace that reaches into our broken humanity ‘because of the great love with which God has loved us even when we were dead in our sins’ (2:4-5).  The grace God has extended to us is complete; it is ruthless in its comprehensiveness. No-one is left out.

It is only in the context of this invitation and inheritance of grace that we are called to intentionally give up self-interest. We have received everything as a gift of God and we need to resist everything that would seek to rob us of that grace - and rob others of the opportunity to encounter God’s grace in and through our lives.

Paul knows if the Ephesian Christians can only just grasp with heads and hearts the amazing wonder of this inheritance of grace, then they will be forever changed.

That goes for us too.

Prayer — Thank you Jesus for your comprehensive love. I have everything I need in you. Help me to be single-minded in getting rid of anything that hinders me from enjoying the fullness of your grace.