On my best days I know the grace of God poured out on me is beyond measure. Paul says “His grace which He lavished on us.” I love the word lavish. I wish my plate was lavished with bacon. My heart and arteries are glad my plate isn’t lavished with bacon.

God, He lavishes grace.

This is good. When I’m having a bad moment, deceived by my own heart and its idols I sin. I rebel, get angry, worry about the results of a situation, or grow jealous.

God lavishes grace.

When something comes up over and over again and I am tempted to be bitter, cold, angry, or disappointed.

God lavishes grace.

My kids push. They don’t like the answer “no.” They don’t like the way I lead them. They push hard. For the 5th time I find myself saying the same thing to the same question rephrased and reasserted by my know-it-all child. Deep down I am angry, agitated, and annoyed. My desire is to shout.

God lavishes grace.

I’m pretty sure God has the same perspective of me too. I get tripped up over the same issue daily. I worry about what I cannot control. I stress over whether my kids will get saved. I am tired and want to just sit and do nothing and disobey God by not relying on Him for strength. And there He is, every step, never getting annoyed, agitated, or angry with me.

He lavishes grace.

He graciously points me back to the Gospel and what He has done. He sent His blameless son to die for me. He died for me. He lavished grace. He, who deserved death not, died for me who deserved death. His spirit moves in me, sometimes it requires correction, conviction, and a move to repent. But every step draws my eyes back to Him — my Father in heaven. This is His grace, lavished on me.

On my best days, I am aware of probably only 5% of the grace He lavishes on me and it causes me to think about the way I interact with others. I am a pastor. I see the dirty, stinky, and sinful side of people (sometimes even directed at me). But I know God lavishes love, mercy, and grace on me. I know He does the same for them too.  It causes me to ask, how can I not show the same mercy and grace toward this person?

He lavishes grace on me.

Becoming aware of His love and grace towards me, knowing how it motivates me and moves me to Him, I ask, how can I NOT show this grace to my kids, spouse, and others? Could this grace and mercy showered on me move them to Him too?

God tells us to, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, gracing each other, just as God in Christ also has graced you”  (Ephesians 4:32) [1].

How did God grace you?

He lavished it.

How do I grace others?

I lavish it.

[1] the word “grace” is usually translated “forgiven,” but the Greek word is χαρίζομαι = grace.