The word "grace" means "a favour granted by someone who is under no obligation to give it, especially a superior." In our Christian context, it refers in particular to God's grace, which is the free and undeserved kindness and love of God.

It was Dietrich Bonhoeffer who coined the phrase "cheap grace". He was horrified by the attitude that so many Christians he came across seemed to have—that as long as they believed in God they could do as they pleased. They behaved as if God owed them forgiveness for their sins. They apparently forgot what it cost God to forgive their sins. Sadly, Bonhoeffer, if he were alive today, would find that "cheap grace" is still very much in abundance in the church.

To understand and to esteem God's grace rightly we must keep in mind just who God is. He is the Eternal One, who has always existed and always will exist. He is the All-Powerful One, for whom all things are possible. He is the Creator who made everything in the whole universe and who is Lord and King over it. He is the Holy One, completely different from any of his creation, entirely good, without falsehood. The words "awesome", "ineffable", "magnificent" can only begin to describe what God is like. Awe, wonder, worship, and even fear are what people feel in the presence of God. Even when we are aware of his great love through Jesus Christ we cannot help but be aware also of his infinite majesty. This is God we're talking about!

Once we remember the boundless glory and power of God we can begin to see how unbelievably wonderful is his grace, his favour. Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," that not one of us is good. "...there is no-one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 14:3) That God actually made it possible for our sins to be forgiven, for us to be his children, is beyond our comprehension.

How is it then that we can take his grace for granted, when we don't deserve anything from him, let alone favour and love? God's grace is "the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:7) How readily we forget the price of grace—Jesus' blood shed on the cross. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) God is gracious to us at unbelievable cost to himself, and we don't deserve any of it whatsoever.

May we always be humbly thankful for this wonderful grace and love of God, "that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1) As children of a mighty and beloved King, may our desire be to please him in every way, may we set out each day to show our gratitude and love to him. By his grace we have his Holy Spirit in us to make it possible!