My wife and I once purchased tickets to a magic show. As we usually do, we bought the very cheapest tickets in the back row of the theater. When we got to the theater, however, we were in for a surprise. The usher looked at our tickets and said, “How would you like a better seat?” Then she ushered us down to the very front row. We got to watch the show front and center, right at the feet of the magician.
Grace brings you from the back to the front.
When that happened, I couldn’t help but think of God’s grace—God’s undeserved love—for us. We didn’t deserve to sit in the front row. We hadn’t paid nearly enough to earn it. It was given to us freely, as a gift. Like God’s grace. In his undeserved love for us, God takes us from the back and brings us to the front. He takes sinners, forgives us through Jesus’ death on a cross, and gives us eternal life in heaven. He takes sinners, washes us through the power of Baptism, and makes us into the children of God.
The apostle Paul learned to say, “But by the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Isn’t that the truth for you and me too? Grace brings you from the back to the front. Thank you, Jesus!
