Love and Grace…

by Rev. Richard Sparling

On December 19th, I saw what was one of the greatest quarters of football maybe ever played. In the last quarter, the Philadelphia Eagles scored four touchdowns in a little over seven minutes. (For those of you who don't know much about football, that is amazing!) What's more, they were not just four ordinary touchdowns, but some of the most exciting ones I've seen that happened because of trickery or some incredibly long runs. If you tried to tell someone about it who hadn't seen the game, they wouldn't believe it.

One of the most outstanding players in this game was the quarterback, Michael Vick. He ran the ball as well as passed it and led the team in an amazing way. As an example, he ran the ball for one hundred and thirty yards. Again, for you who might not be knowledgeable of football, that is an outstanding statistic. All I can say about this quarter of football and Michael Vick is WOW!

This, however, is not the complete story. After the game I turned to a channel that has a panel of four men who discuss the game. The panel included the Governor of Pennsylvania. They were so excited!

But to me what happened during their program was the best part. They televise the after the game press conference. The coach of the team and one of the best players who ran for sixty-six yards for the winning touchdown had their turns at being interviewed. Then it was Michael Vick's turn. He came to the podium and immediately said, “Before I say anything, I want to first give praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (As close as I can remember.) I became so excited that I got on the phone and called my sons and brother pastors in case they hadn't heard it so that they could share this testimony with others, including their congregations.

Why? Because this is a great picture of love and grace. You might recall that several years ago Michael Vick was a well- known and successful quarterback for another team but was involved with dog fighting and killing dogs on his property. He was arrested, tried, convicted and sent to prison where he spent, I believe, two years. He was rightly condemned by everybody. He lost almost everything that was important to him and an incredible amount of money. His future looked bleak. He might have been, at that time, one of the most hated men, looked down upon by many.

There was one, however, that did not hate him. God loved him. And not only did He love him, but He exercised grace toward him. First, upon his release Vick was given an opportunity to play football again and has responded in a great way. Because of love and grace, he was given a new opportunity for his life. More importantly, in some way God worked to convince him of his need for forgiveness. There is a Christian coach, that we know, who visited Vick while he was in prison and I am told he continues to mentor him now that he is out of jail. The Spirit of God worked in his life and Vick responded, received Christ, and is now born again.

What a testimony of God's love and grace in the life of a sinner. No matter how bad that sinner, God loves and works His grace. Vick has a new life physically and spiritually.

It all starts with love and who God loves.

Rom. 5:8 “But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for…

Who?

Rom. 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

God's love makes no distinction. ALL have sinned, and no matter what, He LOVES them all. Praise God, he loved Vick, but also He loved me and you.

The song writer wrote,

“I am so glad that our Father in Heaven Tells of His love in the book He has given. Wonderful things in the Bible I see This is the dearest that Jesus loves me.”

Then comes grace:

Eph. 2:8 “For by grace are you saved through faith, and not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

The hymn writer wrote:

Grace, Grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within...
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Love and grace. Michael Vick exerienced it and so have all of us who are now the children of God. Praise God! But that is not where the experience is to end. There is now a life to live in that love and grace and to live to demonstrate that experience.

Having experienced God's love and continuing to live in that love, we too are to be beings of love.

I John 4:16 “We have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love and he that dwells in love dwells in God and God in him.”

II John 6 “And this is love that we walk after His commandments.”

As God loved and exercised grace, we are to love and exercise grace.

I John 4:7 “Love is of God and everyone that loves (exercises grace) is born of God and knows God.” (Read I John 3, 4, II John)

There is not enough space to write about what we should do but John gives us a basic instruction.

I John 2:6 “He that says he abides in Him, ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.”

Michael Vick's testimony was the beginning of that walk and one we also should do. It is only fulfilled when we put love to action and by grace fulfill all that God would have us do.