Merit pay is a term that describes performance-related pay, most frequently in the context of educational reform or government civil service reform (government jobs). It provides bonuses for workers who perform their jobs effectively, according to easily measurable criteria (wikipedia.org).
We think in terms of merit. “I deserve this.” “I deserve that.” Our society is largely based on merit. We work to deserve our paycheck. We study to deserve our grades. We exercise in competition to deserve our trophies.
When it comes to salvation, it is very difficult for us to think that we don’t deserve heaven or good things from God. But that is not how spiritual laws work. Two verses in Romans ought to make us very humble when we come to God: Romans 3:23 & 6:23.
Salvation is the free gift of God in Jesus Christ. You cannot pay for it. You cannot deserve it. The biblical word for this is, of course, “grace.” Grace is not just a New Testament word. It is used 11 times in the Old Testament (NASV), although there are lots of other synonyms for it in the OT. But “grace” is largely a New Testament concept, being used 122 times. Without the sacrifice of Christ, it would be hard to grasp the grace of God.
Consider the words of the song “His Grace Reaches Me.” This song was written by Whitey Gleason in 1964. The song only has two verses so let’s be encouraged by the thoughts of his poem.
THE DEPTH AND WIDTH OF THE GRACE OF GOD:
Listen to the words and picture Gleason’s images in your mind as we read them:
Deeper than the ocean and wider than the sea,
Is the grace of the Savior for sinners like me;
Sent from the Father and it thrills my soul,
Just to feel and to know
That His blood makes me whole.
There are a couple of passages that picture the love of God in terms of depth and width. First, consider Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:14-21.
Aren’t those words wonderful? And it’s not just the love of God but also His grace that is “deeper than the oceans and wider than the sea.” The ocean, at its deepest part, the Mariana Trench, is 36,070’ or nearly 7 miles deep! The Pacific ocean is the world’s largest ocean at 64 million square miles. At its widest point, the Pacific ocean stretches 12,300 miles from Idonesia to Columbia, South America.
To talk of the depth of the grace of God is to say that God is willing to save man regardless of how deep in sin he is. To put it another way, there is no sin that is practiced at any length of time that cannot be forgiven by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
To talk of the width of the grace of God is to say that God’s love and grace is broad enough to handle all people of all time, everywhere. God’s grace will reach every man, every woman, every child who needs that grace. His grace will cover every race, black, white, Native American, South American, Chinese, African, European. His grace is available for every nation, every language, every tongue. In fact, John pictures people assembled around the throne of Jesus in heaven, in Revelation 7:9-14.
THE HEIGHT AND BRIGHTNESS OF THE GRACE OF GOD:
Let’s read the verse before we meditate on its message:
Higher than the mountains and brighter than the sun,
It was offered at Calvary for everyone;
Greatest of treasures and it’s mine today,
Though my sins were as scarlet,
He has washed them away.
Let’s read now Micah 7:18-20 as it pictures the same imagery relative to the forgiveness of God.
In what way could the “grace of God” be pictured as “brighter than the sun”? I take it that Gleason is referring to how visible and obvious the grace of God is. I believe that is the reference because then he points us to the historical fact of Jesus being offered on the cross at Calvary. That sacrifice is “for everyone.”
Salvation from sin is a “treasure” and it is ours to have when we’ve done what Jesus tells us to do to receive it. The word “treasure” is used 26 times in the NT. From the time that Mary, the mother of Jesus “treasured” the sayings of Jesus in her heart (Luke 2:19, 51), the NT has pictured the message from God, the Gospel, as a treasure. In fact, the most frequent treasure in the NT letters is the Gospel which tells us about salvation: 2 Cor. 4:7; Col. 2:3; 2 Tim. 1:14. But certainly salvation from sins, by the grace of God, is the greatest of all treasures we can have. In fact, we can have it today if we’ll obey what Jesus says to do in order to have it.
When you receive the grace of God in Jesus Christ, you are no longer the master of your own life. You are, as Gleason writes, “under His control.” Jesus is now your master. You don’t make your decisions based on what you want. You make decisions based on what Jesus would have you to do. When you do that, you’ll be happy “in your soul.”
When you receive the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, you will live under His leadership and guidance. Heaven is His gift to you for your selflessness.
–Paul Holland (for more devotionals by Paul, get our FREE daily devotional app for Android devices).