Seize the Day

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 (TPT)

“Now, since we are God’s coworkers, we beg you not to take God’s marvelous grace for granted, allowing it to have no effect on your lives. For he says, ‘I listened to you at the time of my favor. And the day when you needed salvation, I came to your aid.’ So can’t you see? Now is the time to respond to his favor! Now is the day of salvation!”

Grace is a wonderful thing. It takes away the punishment we deserve and instead offers us the riches that Jesus deserved. Some people refer to grace as an acronym that stands for: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is like God’s exchange department. We exchange our sin for righteousness. We exchange our filthy rags of works for garments of praise based in faith. We exchange all the eternal consequences of our sin for the riches of God’s glory in Christ Jesus. And none of this is based on our merit. It is all based on God’s goodness and mercy alone!

For some people, grace is a hard thing to accept. They allow condemnation to rule their lives. They try to earn their salvation. The weight of their sin lies heavily upon their souls, even after they have repented and God has forgiven and forgotten it. Other people go to the opposite extreme. They think that if God is willing to forgive any and all sin, then they can live however they want and just ask forgiveness now and then to avoid the fires of hell. This isn’t true repentance, and it is an abuse of the grace God has offered us.

That’s what Paul is talking about here. Don’t let the idea of grace, God’s unmerited favor, keep you in a state of perpetual sin, living however you want. If you do that, you may never truly repent and receive salvation. Instead, seize the day. Recognize grace as an incredible gift. Treat it as something of value–which it is! Receive that grace as a covering for your sin and as a means of salvation, and then live as if grace has purchased you. Let grace invade every area of your life, so that others see that you have been changed by it. When you do this, you become like the apostles: coworkers with God. You partner with Him! And that’s an amazing blessing as well!

Father, I thank you for your gift of grace. You have given me your unmerited favor out of your great love for me. Your son took the penalty for all my sins that I might share in His inheritance. I can’t even begin to comprehend the depth of your love for me. Father, grace is the most precious gift you could extend to me. I don’t want to take it for granted. I want to fully embrace your grace and value it the way that I should. Help me to live in such a way that others can see the gift of grace you offer to them and can accept it as well. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.