Grace Flows Down – by Eliezer Gonzalez

Jun 6, 2015 2616

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly – 1 Tim 1:15(a), NIV

water overflowingWhen you pour water out of a glass, which way does it go: up or down? It goes down, doesn’t it? Why? Because that’s just what water does. Rain comes down, never up. Rivers flow down into the ocean, and never the other way around.

Although we never think about it either, it’s what grace does as well: it always flows down.

The image that Paul uses in the verse above is about pouring. In fact, he is referring to himself as a container that is being filled to overflowing, so that now only has grace been poured into it from above, but as it overflows it is pouring grace down below.

That’s the way it is with grace, isn’t it?

Grace flowed down when God sent his Son Jesus Christ into this world and deposited him in a manager in Bethlehem, as if to say, “My Son is the greatest treasure that I have. Look after him for a time, will you.” What a gift?

The Bible describes Jesus as being “full of grace and truth.”

Think about it. Full of grace. So full that he overflowed with grace and poured it all over all the poor, the needy, the broken, and the lost.

As the blood of Jesus flowed down his body, and down the timbers of the cross, and to the ground, it flowed down into this world ­– a symbol of the value of the grace by which salvation and restoration and blessing and joy and peace have been obtained for every member of the human race.

We have to remember that grace flows down, and not up. We do not succeed in this life ultimately by in this life by what we do, but by accepting what he has done.

And because grace flows down, it determines where our focus should be. It shouldn’t be on vainly trying to please those people whom we consider better than us, but on those who are “below” us in opportunity and ability. Our focus should be on those who suffer oppression, injustice, bondage to sin, and a lack of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Because just like Paul, because we have been filled with grace, we allow it to pour down as much as possible into this world that Jesus came to save. Just like God did, we are called to splash it around lavishly, extravagantly, with no thought of the cost.

Here’s a challenge: think of someone you know who needs the grace of Jesus Christ today. Pray about it. What are you going to do about it?

– Eliezer Gonzalez
Good News Unlimited

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