God’s graciousness is His extravagant, exuberant giving of Himself.

John says “God is love” (1 John 4:8).  We may also say that “God is graciousness”,  for God’s graciousness saturates all that He says and does, and all graciousness proceeds from Him.  “Every good and perfect gift proceeds from the Father” (James 1:17).  God's greatest gift is graciousness itself,  for His gracious ones are radiant with His glory (Psalm 84:11).

Jesus was full of grace (John 1:14), and was fully gracious.  The overflowing graciousness of the Father was manifested in Jesus as He first emptied Himself of divinity, then gave His own body for us in submission to His Father’s will (Phil. 2:6-8, Luke 22:19).

Every time we freely give of ourselves or of our possessions, we enable God to express His graciousness through us.

Grace is not stagnant -- grace flows.  If we receive a gift from God, and grasp it, then we impede the flow of more gifts from Him.    Have you received wealth from God, and spent it on yourself?  Do you spend your money to build your own luxurious “panelled mansion”? (Haggai 1:4 )  Then you are an obstacle clogging God’s river of grace.  Because of you, others downstream are unwatered and thirsty.

Where are the poor, the oppressed, the hopeless, the destitute?  Have you turned your eyes from their plight, and for comfort’s sake removed yourself far from their presence?  Then God’s grace in your life is paltry and limited.  For you have choked off the outflow, so the inflow is backed up as well.

If we are truly living in grace, then our lives should demonstrate the same graciousness.  Our lives should also be extravagant, exuberant expressions of self-emptying and self-giving.

He that is not gracious does not know God, for God is Gracious (1 John 4:8).
 

Prayer: Lord, unclog our hearts, that Your grace may flow through us without restraint.