His Lavish Love
Have you ever attended a formal dinner? A really formal dinner? The etiquette of such an affair could fill an encyclopedia. All the flatware must rest one inch from the end of the table. Only the soup course has one piece of flatware; all others have two. A soupspoon may go between the knives if there is an appetizer before the soup. On it goes.
If you sat down at such a table, you would expect food well beyond burgers and fries, wouldn’t you? Instead of hot dogs and ice cream, you would expect a menu filled with truffles, prime rib, and Baked Alaska, right? The word lavish comes to mind—extravagant, over-the-top, unrestrained, excessive.
This verse uses the word lavish to describe God’s love for us:
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. Ephesians 1:7-8.
In light of that love, our hearts break when we remember the many times we have failed to do the kind and good things that please the Lord. Our hearts are crushed when we think of the times we let God down.
Still, God, who I rich in mercy, continues to lavish his love on us. In the cross of our Savior, repentant hearts find forgiveness.
We can be greedy with his grace—using all we need and there is still more to give away. So let’s not hoard it. Instead, let’s look for ways to be a conduit of Christ’s grace, his undeserved love today!