The Eyes of Grace

I just finished this Sunday's lesson and I can't help but be amazed at how differently I see and understand Romans now. I'm in chapter 8, the great comfort chapter - you know "all things work together for good" - "we are more than conquerors" and "nothing else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" - that chapter. How many times have a studied it, preached it, used it at funerals, taught classes, and encouraged others to look at it? It's never looked as good or as exciting as it does right now. Have I been dumb in the past and just missed too many things? Maybe, but the biggest difference is that I see how Paul is trying to help us understand how wonderful our Father is - how He has done so much to bring us back to a relationship with Him, and how absolutely amazing His grace is! I talked a couple of Sunday's ago about looking through "The Eyes of Grace" and I think I'm really doing that. I see his love in ways I've never noticed before. The whole tone of the three chapters leading up to that wonderful question in 8:31 "What then shall we say in response to this?" is jam packed with God's love, God's care, and God's concern for us - His adopted children. When we consider all that He has done - when we really look with the eyes of grace - what can we say? His love overwhelms - it penetrates the heart so deeply that we dare not get distracted by fear, insecurities, and selfish pursuits. I've quoted it, preached it, and cheered with others as we shared it - but here's the deal - we are only really more than conquerors through Him who loved us when we, with the eyes of grace, understand what our Father did to make that possible. If we only see what we have and not what He did, we're looking through the wrong eyes. The more we see His grace, the more we see with grace.