David chose kindness when others would have chosen revenge
A story from the Old Testament provides a practical illustration of how God’s grace works. After Saul’s failure as the first king over Israel, David became the king. He successfully defeated Israel’s enemies, made Jerusalem the capital city, and built a palace from which to rule.
David, however, never forgot about his good friend Jonathan. Jonathan was King Saul’s son who had died years earlier in a battle against the Philistines. One day, David asked, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive – anyone to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 Samuel 9.1 NLT. While most kings sought to eliminate anyone from their predecessor’s line, David sought someone to bless.
Mephibosheth was living far from the palace and full of fear
It turned out that Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was still alive. After his father’s death in battle, his family fled in a hurry and the boy was dropped, crippling both of his feet. At the time of David’s question, Mephibosheth was living in an undesirable place called Lo-debar.
When David summoned him to the palace, Mephibosheth arrived with hesitation and fear. He must have wondered if David had found him after all of those years only to end his life. David’s intentions were quite the opposite. He said, “Don’t be afraid! . . . I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!” 2 Samuel 9.7 NLT.
God’s grace gives us what we could never deserve
That’s the picture of God’s grace toward us. Romans 5.8 NLT says, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” We don’t deserve God’s kindness, but He gives us what we don’t deserve. Because of Jesus, we are saved, accepted, blessed.
God chose us and welcomed us into His family
The first chapter of Ephesians expounds on what God’s great love for us involves and how we should respond to it. Ephesians 1.4 NLT says, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” Despite our sins and shortcomings, God has made us blameless in His sight. He didn’t do that begrudgingly; He did it because He wanted to. It pleased God to adopt us and make us part of His family.
Our response to grace is a life of praise and obedience
Then, Ephesians 1.6 NLT suggests the proper response on our part: “So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” Praise can take many different forms. It includes singing songs of worship, but also sharing about God’s goodness with a friend. Most importantly, you can praise God by obeying God. Nothing declares God’s goodness as loudly as actually doing what He says in response to what He’s done.
Grace is not a one-time gift but a daily reality
For followers of Jesus, embracing grace isn’t a one-time experience; it’s a daily reality. “For from His fullness, we have all received grace upon grace” John 1.16 EV. Every good thing comes from Him.
This blog features an excerpt from one of our Student Series books, Walk With God.
