For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Slip sliding away. Now let’s be honest and let’s be clear. I don’t have a clue about cooking, but I do know just a little about frying pans. Back in the old days when it came to frying pans it was cast iron or nothing and cast iron had and has its place. But some years ago, they started making frying pans that food stuff wouldn’t stick too. Well about seven or eight years ago we bought a pricy set of pots that were supposed to be stick proof and I guess for the first few years they were. Then, slowly, and as sure as a slug on a sidewalk, it stopped being non-stick.
Now my experience with frying pans is limited to frying, or maybe it is just cooking in a frying pan, eggbeaters for my breakfast and if you weren’t careful you ended up with a sticky mess. Sometimes there was more egg left in the pan than there was on my plate. Finally…my wife Judy said enough. She went to the Walmart store and bought one of those pans you see advertised on television. The ad said that “nothing would stick”. It showed eggs, burnt butter and cheese, you name it and with just a tilt of the pan—off it would go. Turns out that was not exactly true. I told her she should take the thing back, but she said it was too late.
Well, out of frustration I decided to try something. I sprayed the pan with some Pam…it’s like cooking oil in a spray can – I think. After spraying the pan, I poured some eggbeaters in and just like that – problem solved. Those eggs—or eggbeaters—were sliding all over the pan just like the commercial. It turns out all that the pan needed was a little help. The bottom line is it is good to have a pan that doesn’t try and keep my eggs.
You know that made me think. That pan and the spray stuff is a whole like God’s grace and our faith. Imagine with me that the pan is the grace of God. Grace simply means God’s unmerited favor. Now imagine that the spray on stuff is like faith. Faith is when we believe something that we can’t see, touch, or feel. Put the two together and you have a combination that simply will not allow sin to stick and that is good news. Just like the eggbeaters slid right out that pan, so sin is forgiven and won’t stick around to condemn us. Grace and faith—what a wonderful combination.
Paul, the guy in the Bible who wrote a lot of the New Testament said this, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” “By grace through faith,” put the two together and your sin just won’t stick to your account. Gone. Forgiven. Banished. And just like the eggs, or eggbeaters, have little or nothing to do with their time in the pan so when it comes to God’s forgiveness that is true too. All we do is believe…everything else is on God. Oh, and just like the commercial…no sin and I mean no sin, is going to stick—no matter how big or bad. His grace is sufficient for the job. You gotta love it.
So, if the next time you are frying something, and it sticks to the pan—just head to the store and get you one of those fancy new ones. Oh, and don’t forget the Pam. And the next time you get into deep weeds with your sin, just remember this story and step into God’s grace and your faith…it is a winning combo. No matter how big the mess…His grace is enough. All you need to do is ask for His forgiveness and I can already tell you His reply—I’ve got this.” Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 