The Way God Works
Read: Matthew 5:43-48 | Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 5-7; Mark 11:1-18
He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good. —Matthew 5:45
My bill came to $4.40. The dollar bills and change in my pocket left me 40 cents short.
A man standing nearby quickly handed me 40 cents. “Here,” he said, “and God bless!” His generosity took me by surprise. Before leaving, I thanked him again. “That’s the way the world works,” he replied.
That man’s kindness reminded me of the common grace God extends to a fallen world.
Our world works because of God’s unconditional generosity. Let me explain.
Jesus said that our heavenly Father gives warmth, light, and all the life-giving benefits of the sun to this world’s inhabitants, good and bad alike (Mt. 5:45). Imagine what would happen to our world if we went one day without the sun. Even more generous, however, is God’s immeasurable love in making forgiveness and eternal life available through Jesus’ death on the cross to atone for our sins.
What ingratitude I would have shown to the man who gave me 40 cents if I had ignored him, or rejected his offer!
Yet that’s how we often treat God.
And His response?
He keeps giving while holding open the offer of forgiveness.
Let’s thank God daily for His generosity, and help others know that God’s grace is what makes the world work.
Fools twist God’s grace to live as they please; the wise trust God’s grace and live as He pleases.