Grace and the ocean

I just returned from Liberate 2014 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  Below is a picture I took. It was a great conference and you can read my notes from many of the speakers on earlier posts.  Today, I wanted to share some thoughts I had while sitting on the beach one morning about the similarities between grace and the ocean.

 

Grace is like an ocean because:

• It is deep.  When we think we have understood its depths, there is more.
• It is far reaching.  No matter what you have done in your past, God's grace can reach you.
• It is free. Isn't it amazing that you can go the beach for free?  No admission fee.
• It draws you in.  Just like the undercurrent in the ocean, God draws us.
• It is rest. Listening to the waves is relaxing and peaceful.
• It is unpredictable. You cannot predict the pattern of waves. You cannot predict how grace will affect a person.
• It is bitter.  We avoid drinking it.  To those who want to live by law or control, it makes them make a bitter face.
• It is refreshing.  The cool waters refresh you.  Grace refreshes our spirit, soul, and body.
• It is attractive.  People love to go to the ocean. Grace attracts, Law repels.
• It stops. The ocean stops at the shore.  Grace demands us to stop striving and trying to earn God's Love.  All we need to do is receive what Jesus has done for us on the cross.

One of my favorite quotes from One Way Love that Tullian Tchividjian repeated again was, "Christians live their lives under a banner that reads, It is finished."

What would you add?  I hope I can get back to the ocean again soon.  But more importantly I want to go deeper in understanding God's grace for me and you.