Grace in a Great Way

I have recently read through the book of Genesis and was reminded in a new way of God's marvelous grace. I have known of the story of Jacob for many years and have used part's of it in sermons as illustrations and so forth. However, as I read through this story recently I saw the life and ministry of Jacob with a fresh perspective. (I love when God does that, He takes you to a familiar place and teaches you something new and exciting. Of course that is the power of God's Word is it not?)

In short, Jacob was conniving, manipulative, tricky, untruthful, and arrogant. If we thought long enough we could find many more unpleasant adjectives to describe this man. In spite of his many character flaws and poor decisions we see God work in awesome and incredible ways in His life. As I thought through this I began to wonder why, why did God work in such awesome ways in Jacob's life? Why Jacob? Surely there was someone in the Hebrew community that more deserved to be used by God. Then God's sledgehammer fell and I realized it is all because of God's Amazing Grace.

Jacob did not deserve the incredible blessings God bestowed upon him, God just did it because God is sovereign and God does what God wants to do. God freely poured out His matchless grace upon Jacob even though Jacob wasn't deserving.

I am Jacob. That is exactly what God has done in my life and any other who knows Him in a real and personal way. I am not and nor are you deserving of God's grace and yet in His sovereignty He freely pours out His grace on whom He wills regardless of our past. God draws straight lines with crooked sticks. Let me encourage you to bask in the grace of God today.

Thank you God for Your amazing, incredible, matchless, great, awesome grace.