I learned two life lessons from the book, 'Pilgrim's Progress', by John Bunyan. I'd like to share them with you and encourage you to meditate on them. The first is in this quote from 'Pilgrim's Progress.'"The Interpreter lit a candle and led Christian into a parlor where the floor was covered with dust. A man came in and began to sweep. As he swept, the dust flew about the room so that Christian could hardly breathe. "Now bring the water," said the Interpreter. A girl entered, sprinkled water about the room, then swept it clean. "Now I will tell you what this means," said the Interpreter. "This parlor is the heart of a person lost in sin. The dust is his sin. The sweeper is the Law, which stirs up but can not clean. The water is the gospel, which washes the heart clean."
What a great analogy! God's law convicts us and points out our sin. The more we are aware of the Law's demands for perfection, the more we are aware of our sin. We're so choked up in our knowledge of sin that we can hardly breathe. But then the gospel comes in and rescues us. Jesus douses the choking sin with grace. The horrible helplessness we have over our sin recedes and we are able to breathe again! All thanks to Jesus and His grace. Here's a way to remember the definition of 'grace.'
God's
Riches
At
Christ's
Expense
In the words of Julia H. Johnston, "Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin."