Grace in the Sky Box

The Scripture Dig team appreciates your prayers as we prepare to serve the Lord together at a retreat, April 8&9 in Pigeon Forge, TN. We will be teaching about our adoption by our Heavenly Father and what it means to be “in the Family.” If you would like information, just leave a comment, and we’ll be glad to email you details.

In my long braid days we were given tickets to the Sky Box for the Ice Capades. I remember wide chairs high above the crowds, enjoying the view. It was a view we couldn’t afforded for ourselves. We sampled sodas with round cubes in wide glasses, served with triangle roast beef sandwiches with enough meat on them to make mom frown.  The riches were unlike any we enjoyed in the “cheap seats.” Though they had no obligation, the company invited us to enjoy benefits we hadn’t earned and didn’t deserve. Our only distinction was being declared “welcome” by the owner who freely provided the riches of life in the Sky Box.

God is known for His joy in showering grace on His loved ones. He is known as “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). Unlike privileges earned from hard work, the blessings bestowed out of grace are purely out of the loving desire of the Giver.

Salvation is that out of reach blessing we could never earn. It is only bestowed on us by the gracious Giver’s “unmerited favor.” Sin stands in the way of our access to the Sky Box of life, since “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”  but “all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-24).  By God’s undeserved kindness to us we’re accepted where we could not go alone, given access and blessing only possible with a Redeemer.

The Redeemer’s payment on our behalf was not deserved, yet “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). None of us can say we enjoy the distinction of salvation because of anything we have done. God knows we could not resist the urge to boast, so we know it’s all because of grace.

A simple acronym reminds us grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Too simple?

We enjoy the blessings of Heaven only because of the sacrifice of Heaven’s Son.

I was nervous when we were invited up to the Sky Box, expecting that no one like me would be there.  Somehow I expected they would all “belong” there, look different than I did, and act like “Sky Box People.”  But in reality it was filled with other people like me. People who had done nothing to deserve the privileges and gifts, people who had just received unmerited favor.  That’s the beauty of grace. Where sin is great, grace is greater (Rom. 5:20).  It’s when we’re sure we don’t deserve the riches that we’re ready for the grace.

Have you ever been to a Sky Box? There are thick triangle sandwiches with ruffled toothpicks, sodas with round cubes, wide seats with a great view, and servers to make sure you enjoy the benefits. And how about grace?  Have you enjoyed God’s grace?  You’ve been invited!!!!  And it’s better than the Sky Box.