DEUTERONOMY 9:5-6: “It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The Lord your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You must recognize that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land because you are good, for you are not—you are a stubborn people.” NLT

OBSERVATION: IT’S GRACE, STUPID! These are the words that came to mind when I read Moses’ admonishment to the Children of Israel as he prepared them for their conquest of the Promised Land. This statement may sound a bit harsh, but it is true nonetheless. We tend to forget that everything in our Christian life is given to us by grace!

In 1992, during Bill Clinton’s Presidential Campaign, his campaign strategist, James Carville, coined a phrase that would live on in infamy. George H. W. Bush, then President, was in the middle of a recession. The Reagan boom had faded. President Bush’s run for a second term was an uphill climb.

While many issues were debated during this campaign, James Carville coined a phrase for the campaign and the campaign staff that would usher Bill Clinton into the White House. What was that phrase?

IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!

The message was simple. Focus on the economy. Don’t forget that everything in people’s lives revolves around the economy. While there are surely many equally important issues, it is the individual’s pocketbook that drives them to the polls.

I am not linking an earthly campaign to our heavenly focus. All I am trying to do is illustrate how we need to keep the Main Thing…the Main Thing. Our Christian life, our victory in life, our eternal salvation, everything we have been given from the heart and throne of God is a gift of GRACE! So, in the same vein, and with the same emphasis, I say to myself,

IT’S GRACE, STUPID!

Moses reminds the Children of Israel that they were not entering God’s promises because they had earned them or were better than anyone else. If you keep reading, Moses reminds them of all the ways they had failed God along the journey. In fact, their stubbornness and sin resulted in their wandering in the wilderness for 40 years until an entire generation had passed away.

No! It was not their merit. It was not their achievement. It was not their military might that placed them at the threshold of God’s promises. IT WAS GRACE!

God had made a Covenant Promise to Abraham, by grace, and through faith! Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. God gave His promise to Abraham, and to Abraham’s seed, out of His GREAT GRACE!

This grace was not limited to Abraham and to his seed, but it was also extended to all who would call upon the Name of the Lord! We see this in Moses’ instruction and also in Paul’s epistle to the Romans.

“For the Lord your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed. He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.” (Deuteronomy 10:17-18 NLT)

“So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe…And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” (Romans 4: 16, 23-24 NLT)

IT’S GRACE, STUPID!

And what a wonderful assurance this is. It was GRACE to Abraham. It was GRACE to the Children of Israel. It was GRACE to the widows and orphans. It was GRACE to the foreigners, to the Gentiles. It is GRACE to you and me! We stand as sons and daughters of God fully and completely –

BY GRACE ALONE!

While no one likes to be called stupid, I must admit that when I begin to take credit for anything the Lord has done in my life, I am acting stupid. My salvation and every miracle that God does in my life is a work of His GREAT GRACE! This truth humbles me. It causes me to fall down and worship. It keeps my perspective heavenward. And…It gives all the glory to JESUS CHRIST, my Lord!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your GREAT GRACE! Thank you for loving me so much that You sent Your Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, my Lord, to die for my sins. Thank You, Jesus, that You rose victoriously from the dead and from the right hand of the Father, You poured out the Holy Spirit into my heart. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for Your continued care, for the blessings You bring each day, and for reminding me that from start to finish…

IT’S GOD’S GRACE!

IT IS TRULY…AMAZING GRACE!

In Jesus’ Name!