Today's Insight - January 4, 2013

Today's Insight from Chuck Swindoll
 

Grace: A Many Splendored Thing 

by Charles R. Swindoll

Psalm 84:11

 

We use grace to describe many things in life:

 

A well-coordinated athlete or dancer  

Good manners and being considerate of others  

Beautiful, well-chosen words  

Consideration and care for other people  

Various expressions of kindness and mercy

 

Those statements remind me of Christ. What a perfect illustration of grace! Think of several 

examples with me. He stood alongside a woman caught in adultery. The Law clearly stated, 

"Stone her." The grace killers who set her up demanded the same. Yet He said to those self-

righteous Pharisees, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." What grace! Under the 

Law they had every legal right to bury her beneath the rocks in their hands . . . and they were 

ready. There they stood with self-righteous fire in their eyes, but He intervened in grace. 

When His friend Lazarus died, Martha met Him on the road and Mary later faced Him in the 

house. Both blamed Him for not coming earlier: "If You had been here, my brother would not 

have died!" There is strong accusation in those words. He took them in grace. With the turn of 

His hand, He could have sent them to eternity; but He refused to answer them back in argument. 

 

That is grace. 

 

When He told stories, grace was a favorite theme. He employed a gracious style in handling 

children. He spoke of the prodigal son in grace. As He told stories of people who were caught in 

helpless situations, grace abounded . . . as with the good Samaritan. And instead of extolling the 

religious official who spoke of how proud God must be to have him in His family, Christ smiled 

with favor on the unnamed sinner who said, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." Even from the 

cross He refused to be angry toward His enemies. Remember His prayer? "Father, forgive them . 

. . " No resentment, no bitterness. Amazing, this grace! Remarkable, the freedom and release it 

brought. And it came in full force from the only One on earth who had unlimited power, the Son 

of God.

 

Adapted by permission.  The Grace Awakening Devotional, Charles R. Swindoll, © 2003, Thomas 

Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. Copying or using this material without written 

permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited and in direct violation of copyright law. 

Listen to today's broadcast of Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll at OnePlace.com.
Visit the Bible-teaching ministry of Chuck Swindoll at www.insight.org.

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Christianity / Devotionals / Today's Insight with Chuck Swindoll / Today's Insight - January 4, 2013