Grace, Mercy and Peace

"Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son, in truth and love." (II John 1:3)

There was an intriguing form of art that became popular in the past. If one gazed into the picture long enough, a second, three-dimensional image would appear within the artwork. It was a challenge to relax and gaze slightly out of focus to keep this deeper image in view, but with practice, it became easier. Similarly, there is Christian art that appears as random bars of different thicknesses and lengths, but when you gaze at it, the name of Jesus becomes clear. I brought one of these pieces home and noticed that after a few days, it became easy to see Jesus almost immediately. Seeing Jesus in the details of our lives is a lot like these forms of artwork. At first, we can hardly see Him at all, but as our journey toward Him progresses, we see Him more in everything.

Like these forms of obscure art, we struggle to find peace within ourselves because the world we know is so void of grace and mercy. We are typically raised by the two cold, hard motivators of this world—the fear of failure and the hope of reward. It often seems that failure, along with the guilt and shame that accompany it, overshadows the fleeting moments of reward.

Initially, recognizing lasting peace within the Christian community can feel equally challenging—appearing like just another introduction to failure, guilt, and condemnation. But as we focus on our faith, the "hidden image" begins to surface. It becomes difficult to separate the words grace, mercy, and peace, because it is virtually impossible to know peace without grace and mercy. There is only one true and lasting source of grace and mercy in this world: the love God shows us through the shed blood of His dear Son and our Savior, Jesus. We come to realize that we can only experience lasting peace by accepting God’s completely undeserved grace through the work of Jesus Christ. Then, like that art piece, we begin to see Jesus more readily in the details of our lives, finally experiencing genuine confidence.

This is the milestone in our Christian growth when the initial images of failure and shame give way to a marvelous view of Jesus, through which we feel "set free." While seeing Jesus in the portrait of our own relationship with God becomes easier, a far greater challenge remains ahead.

“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged,” Jesus said (Matt. 7:2). He also taught that we should not thank God for a love we are unwilling to show others (Matt. 5:24). Our duty as both obedient children and servants of God is to “love one another” (John 13:34) and “give as freely as you receive” (Matt. 10:8).

The most daunting challenge Jesus gives us is to see and treat every person as if they were Jesus Himself (Matt. 25:35-40). This is truly against our nature. We find it easy to bask in God’s undeserved love, yet we struggle to show an equal portion of it toward others. Yet, the next image we are called to see is Jesus in the portrait of others. We are not equipped to do this on our own. But with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to see others through Jesus’ compassionate eyes—seeing Jesus the Savior and Intercessor standing as a shield before them, just as God sees us. Only to the degree that we can truly see and love others as God sees and loves us can we truly love them as ourselves and begin to embrace the full measure of God’s grace, mercy, and peace.

Father, Thank You for Your abundant Grace that meets us in our weakness, Your Mercy that covers our failings, and Your Peace that transcends all understanding. Help us see and appreciate these divine gifts at work in our ongoing transformation. Guard our minds from worry, steady our spirits with Your presence, and empower us to extend to others the same kindness You have so freely given to us. Above all else, Father, let us see life through eyes of faith, seeing Jesus—or the need for Him—everywhere and in everything… Amen.

mgb