The Refreshment Of Grace

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up.

Ecclesiastes 10:12

The most unsettling TV commercial in 1999 showed close-ups of three individuals bearing noticeable physical injuries and scars. There was no explanation—only a familiar logo at the end and the words, “Just do it.” What made the commercial moving was the Joe Cocker song playing throughout in the background: “You are so beautiful . . . to me.”

Granted, the commercial was for shoes. But there was another message as well: true beauty and grace is not a matter of physical perfection. Some of the most refreshing people to be around are those who have overcome serious limitations in their lives. Their gracious attitude seems to say, “I may not have everything that’s possible, but I’m doing everything possible with what I have been given.”

There should be no bounds to the graciousness of those who know Christ since God has made all grace abound to us to make us sufficient in all things (2 Corinthians 9:8). Wherever we go as Christians, we should take with us the refreshment of the gospel of grace.

Instead of “Just do it,” Christians should “Just dispense it”—the grace of God, that is.