A half empty plate and the meaning of grace

The story is told of a boy who was in the habit of returning home late for dinner. Every night they would wait for him to return from playing outside with the food usually getting cold.  Repeatedly his parents warned him that that there would be consequences if he did not change his ways. Finally one day he came home particularly late and found his parents sitting down to eat. Thinking he had narrowly escaped punishment again he smiled and sat down quickly. But as he looked down at his plate he realized his punishment was in fact already waiting for him. There looking back at him was an unappealing piece of broken bread and sitting next to it a cup of ordinary tap water.  So they said the blessing, though I am sure the boy was not very thankful for the food he had.  Then when they were just about to eat the boy's father did something that would mark the child forever.  He leaned over picked up the boy's plate and put his own in it's place.  Then he placed the boy's food in front of himself and began to eat the bread.  From that day forward the boy would never forget his father's love and the true meaning of grace.

Friends, grace is getting what we don't deserve.  Just like the boy you and I get what we don't deserve when we choose the life Jesus gives.  And like the father Jesus got what he didn't deserve, the punishment of someone else.  Ephesians 2:8,9 tells us, "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast."  Truly we don't deserve eternal life but God makes it available to us through His grace.  I invite you to accept it today.