The Abundant Overflow of God’s Grace

Read John 1:16 “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”

Have you ever been to Costco when they are restocking the toilet paper? It’s incredible to see the amount of goods that are moved and stacked upon each other only to get replaced a few days later. The stacks seem never-ending, and my kids love playing in them like a giant fort. As I’m trying to calculate and comprehend the ridiculous amount of goods moved in and out of this warehouse, it hits me. Costco restocking is but a speck compared to the abundant overflow of God’s grace for me, and I get the opportunity to teach my kids to embrace and live in God’s grace in the same way they enjoy and play in the Costco fort.

John opens with sharing the good news of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us. Christ was present at the beginning of creation and became flesh to walk in His creation. John then describes the gift of grace given to us through Christ, and in case the reader doesn’t understand how much grace that means, or if it ever runs out, he reiterates “grace upon grace”. The God of the universe does not run out of grace.

Every day, I need and ask for God’s grace. Surely, the stacks of grace should be diminishing, yet the towers of grace never change. The warehouse of God’s grace is never-ending, and that is a calculation I will never fully comprehend. Through acceptance of Jesus as my Savior, I pursue fellowship with Him through prayer, scripture, Christian community, and service, striving to be more like Christ. I don’t want to waste the grace He has given me because of its abundance; rather, I want to share the hope we have so that others may experience God’s grace and the freedom that comes from following Him.

Now we get to the payment of grace. I’m not able to leave Costco until I swipe my credit card and pay. Often, I feel as if I’m using God’s grace like a credit card with no limit. I know there’s nothing I can do to repay the debt owed for the grace received, but I know I should heed the words of Paul when he answers the question of whether we should keep on sinning so that grace may abound. Paul says absolutely not. Fortunately, when we do sin, we know that Christ has stepped in on our behalf to pay this debt, and that warehouse of grace and hope is open and free for all.