Just in case you are wondering, the longest verse in the King James version of the Bible is Christ’s genealogy in Luke 3:23-38. It has more than 300 words. Interestingly, Ephesians 1:3-14 is Paul’s longest sentence at about 240 words. And boy oh boy, it is a “doozy” of a sentence.
Paul tells us we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing and then begins to lay those blessings out one by one using “big theological terms.” He says we are CHOSEN, PREDESTINED, ADOPTED, REDEEMED, and FORGIVEN.
And then he summarizes by stating that He LAVISHED all those things on us. The dictionary tells us that when something is lavished, it is bestowed in generous or extravagant qualities or quantities.
Every November, I begin posting pictures of pumpkin pie on my social media. I love pumpkin pie. And the best picture I have shows that the pie is only about an inch thick, while the Cool Whip on top is about three inches think. That piece of pie had whipped cream LAVISHED on it. (And it tastes amazing!!)
When we come to realize that the grace of God has been not just given to us, but LAVISHED on us, a significant response is appropriate. Our first impulse might be to shout and cheer, but upon reflection, it should cause us to stop and “soak” a bit in that grace. And once we have a fuller understanding of His grace and mercy, we should look for ways to share that grace with others.
Because His grace is so rich and available to each of us, those who know Christ should naturally feel motivated to unite with other believers. The grace that has been LAVISHED, fully covers our imperfections and allows us to work towards uniting others.
And lastly, such a preponderance of grace frees you and I to rest in His will and intentionally give Him the glory. We do not have to ration GRACE. We should not meter it out like a trickling water faucet. We will not run out of grace.
The pattern of our lives should display God’s grace whenever and wherever we can. We should sing of His grace. We should dance to His grace. We should wake up anticipating His grace. We should lay down at the end of the day, recounting with deep gratitude the displays of His grace.
There is a great old hymn where the chorus and last verse declares: “Grace, Grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe! You that are longing to see His face, Will you this moment His grace receive?”
Enjoy His lavish grace!
Paul tells us we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing and then begins to lay those blessings out one by one using “big theological terms.” He says we are CHOSEN, PREDESTINED, ADOPTED, REDEEMED, and FORGIVEN.
And then he summarizes by stating that He LAVISHED all those things on us. The dictionary tells us that when something is lavished, it is bestowed in generous or extravagant qualities or quantities.
Every November, I begin posting pictures of pumpkin pie on my social media. I love pumpkin pie. And the best picture I have shows that the pie is only about an inch thick, while the Cool Whip on top is about three inches think. That piece of pie had whipped cream LAVISHED on it. (And it tastes amazing!!)
When we come to realize that the grace of God has been not just given to us, but LAVISHED on us, a significant response is appropriate. Our first impulse might be to shout and cheer, but upon reflection, it should cause us to stop and “soak” a bit in that grace. And once we have a fuller understanding of His grace and mercy, we should look for ways to share that grace with others.
Because His grace is so rich and available to each of us, those who know Christ should naturally feel motivated to unite with other believers. The grace that has been LAVISHED, fully covers our imperfections and allows us to work towards uniting others.
And lastly, such a preponderance of grace frees you and I to rest in His will and intentionally give Him the glory. We do not have to ration GRACE. We should not meter it out like a trickling water faucet. We will not run out of grace.
The pattern of our lives should display God’s grace whenever and wherever we can. We should sing of His grace. We should dance to His grace. We should wake up anticipating His grace. We should lay down at the end of the day, recounting with deep gratitude the displays of His grace.
There is a great old hymn where the chorus and last verse declares: “Grace, Grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within; Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace, freely bestowed on all who believe! You that are longing to see His face, Will you this moment His grace receive?”
Enjoy His lavish grace!
Sherry Worel
Sherry Worel is a Bible teacher at heart and lives a life of ministry. She’s been involved at Coast Hills teaching Women’s LIFE, Bible studies, online courses, devotionals, participating in Upstream conversations, and much more. Having a love for education, Sherry has over 50 years of teaching experience with schools, churches, and mission agencies. As well as earning her Master’s at Talbot Seminary, she rounded out her education with 35 years as Head of School at Stoneybrooke Christian School. Sherry is happiest with a book or fishing pole in hand.