Shaking Grace


 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2 (emphasis mine)

Years ago my friend Matthew had a beautiful golden retriever named Kelly. Kelly was the sweetest dog in the world. Normally, she was very well behaved, walked beside us without a leash, stayed where you told her to stay and stopped barking when you asked her to stop. In one area, Kelly was a naughty girl. Kelly loved to shake water all over. Whether she was wet from the lake, from rain or from a bath, no matter how many times Matthew would say, “Kelly, no! Don’t shake!” Kelly would shake, blessing all of us with the spray from her latest adventure.

          I thought of Kelly this morning while I was talking to the Lord about grace. Too often many of us, people who claim Jesus as Lord and Savior, think that we shouldn’t ask too much of Him. How much more could we ask? He gave His life for us. That indicates that He is truly willing to give anything and everything we need and some things that we want. I say some things we want because in His wisdom, He knows that we often want things that aren’t good for us. Through the years, I’ve learned that Jesus wants us to ask for any and all things, in His name. Ask and you will receive, He said.  So as I asked for grace, lots of grace, so much grace that I would be drenched in it, I thought of Kelly.

          It was as if a movie of her beautiful golden body was playing in mind with sound and everything. I could almost hear Matthew’s horrified, “Kelly! Don’t shake!” and feel the sensation of flying water hitting my body and face. Oh Kelly! Kelly! That’s it! That is exactly the amount of grace I want, so much grace that when I move, everyone around me is covered in the grace that Abba in His loving mercy provided for me.

          If I see myself as unworthy to receive grace, then I am negating the sacrifice Jesus made for me. If I believe that my allotment of grace is fairly small and based on my behavior, well, that’s just way off the path. Our heavenly Father sent His one and only precious Son that we might have abundant life (John 10:10) and live always under His grace. There is grace available for me, for you, for anyone who would recognize and accept Jesus as Lord and be open to receiving that grace. When you receive it, shake. Shake it all over the people around you. We’re willing to spread news, germs and opinions. How much better would things be if we were all shaking and spreading grace?

 

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