Grace Upon Grace

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John 1:16–17 CSB Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

What it is saying to me:

My wife loves the ocean. I am more of a mountain man myself, but even I have to admit that the ocean is awe-inspiring — the vastness of it, the power of it, the endless horizon, the waves that never stop crashing upon the shore. It is hard not to see God in its majesty.

There is some debate among people smarter than me about the meaning of the phrase "grace upon grace" in the verses above. One camp says it is talking about the grace of Jesus being placed over the old grace of the law. Others argue it means an accumulation of grace from the fullness of Christ, and still others that it means there is a new and fresh grace for every day from God's endless supply. All of these sound great to me, so I will take all the interpretations.

For the sake of this devotional, I will return to the ocean — the fullness of the ocean standing in place of the fullness of Christ. His fullness has no bottom, no shoreline, no end. It cannot be exhausted. And the waves — grace. Wave upon wave of grace breaking on the dry shores of the weary heart. Wave upon wave of grace providing strength and power for the work God has given us today. Wave upon wave of grace to share with others as we go about our day.

Even as a wave breaks on the shore, I realize there is already another wave on the way. I do not have to approach God today on yesterday's grace. He doesn't ration it. He doesn't grow weary of giving it. There is always another wave coming.

The ocean will always produce waves. The fullness of Christ will always produce waves of grace. The ocean is still full. The waves are still coming.

We just have to come to the shore.

What is it saying to you?

What grace do you need today?

Do you expect a fresh supply from God?

What are you going to do about it?

Receive a wave of grace today. Walk in the faith of an endless supply, because it flows from the fullness of God.