Grace — He Didn't Leave Me Like He Found Me
Grace is not a reward for getting it right. It arrives before you ask, before you deserve it, before you know you need it. The altar-call verse: 'God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (Romans 5:8). Not after improvement. Not when you came around. While you were still. 'For 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). The Prodigal Son rehearsed his apology speech on the road home. He didn't get to finish it — the father was already running. Grace moves faster than repentance. 'Where sin increased, grace increased all the more' (Romans 5:20). The defining testimony of the evangelical tradition is not 'I found God' but 'He found me.' I'm so glad He didn't leave me like He found me.