Ephesians 2:8-9
Grace is a Gift of God
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Luke 15:1-7
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Grace is a gift...And we have done things in our lives that maybe we do not think we deserve God's Grace...But God is looking for the lost...Jesus' gospel and good news tells us that God is always looking to save the lost and find those who have left Him...He will come running to save those who have been found and rejoice in heaven...
I think Brennan Manning explains God's Grace very well by saying, “My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.”...“To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark...In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God's grace means.”...