Grace at 168 MPH Return to Main Menu
(about 300 km/hr)
Mercy, Forgiveness, Justice, Grace,
and Divine Grace
A young unmarried Air Force Lieutenant fighter pilot returns to the U.S. from a tour in Iraq with many things he would like to forget, but looking forward to buying a new car. He had always wanted a certain ultra fast car, and with little to do at his foreign base, flying status, combat pay, he had saved his money; and now, with a tight grip on his wallet he set off to a dealership to buy his childhood dream.
After driving the Jaguar to break it in for six months he decided the time had come to see what it would do. One early Sunday morning on a long flat road in the middle of nowhere, he let it fly. In excess of 160 mph, he passed a lonely highway patrol man sitting behind a sign with a tight grip on his radar gun. He knew he could outrun the patrol man, but he could not outrun the patrolman's view of his license plate. After about thirty seconds, he began to slow and pulled off the road, and a few minutes later the highway patrol man caught up.
"Young man, do you know how fast my radar gun said you were going back there?" the patrol man asked as he walked up to the Jag. "Well, not absolutely sure," the lieutenant responded. "Does 168 mph sound about right!" "Yes Sir!" the lieutenant humbly said. "Hmmmmm Do you know, I could arrest you, put you in jail, take your license, and impound this car?" The lieutenant, his head down, obviously shaken for not only being caught but being so stupid, and most respectfully responded, "Not really, but I do believe you Sir".
The patrolman stood there, looked hard at the car, looked at the young man, saw the evidence of an Air Force Base parking sticker on the window and an officer's hat on the back seat, stepped back, took a big deep breath, "Lieutenant, could I see the motor in this car?" "YES SIR!" and popped the hood. Mercy and Forgiveness had arrived and more was on the way. After a few minutes of admiring the engine, the patrolman said, "Let's go have a cup of coffee and talk how fast you were going."
At a diner down the road, the patrolman ordered coffee and breakfast and the lieutenant had the same. After breakfast and a little talk about the Air Force, the car, and Iraq, the patrolman got up and with grace in his voice, told the young man to slow down and indicated that he would not issue any ticket or citation. The lieutenant nervously breathed easier, and the patrolman left before the lieutenant could get up, even get out a thank you, or anything else out of his mouth, but grabbed the bill before the patrolman could get it. After the absolute insistence of paying the bill by the Lieutenant, the patrolman thanked him, gave up, and walked away.
In this instance of mercy, societal justice was not served because generally in society if you do wrong there are preset consequences and results you should suffer. For some reason, even at the possible expense of the highway patrolman's career, a citation was not issued. The patrolman's actions could have been called into question as to why an appropriate arrest was not made. If the lieutenant went back to his car, sped up, and caused a fatality, potentially the patrolman's actions could have caused him harm for not doing what justice required when he caught the Lieutenant recklessly speeding at 168 mph.
After the patrolman's view of the situation, mercy and forgiveness came when the patrolman decided not to arrest the Lieutenant for felony reckless driving, ruining the young man's Air Force career and asking to see the car's motor. Merciful forgiveness was there even though the Lieutenant had not asked for it. Grace was in the forgiveness because the patrolman expected and desired nothing in return. The patrolman gave the young man a much different life in his forgiveness than if had taken him to jail. Had the ticket been issued and the lieutenant jailed, tried, and convicted for felony reckless driving, the Lieutenant would likely have been given a dishonorable discharge and put out of the Air Force. This would have put a stain on his life forever. The patrolman's grace changed the lieutenant's career and life for the good even at a potential expense to the patrolman's career.
Grace is a gift of undeserved, unmerited, intended favor for its recipient. It comes in forgiveness without being asked for such forgiveness and kindness, grace comes in unwarranted mercy in a moment of great need, it comes without any expectations from the recipient, and grace comes abundantly when nothing is required in return for the grace!
Grace is the fundamental principle in the establishment of Christianity by the death of Jesus on the Cross (*1). As Justice is to the law, Grace is to Christianity. Being fundamental to the very nature and character of God, Grace existed before creation, exists in every facet of our lives, and continues at the end of the days of the righteous believers of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The doctrine of Grace cannot be found in any other religion in the world and was a true Theological Event in the death of Jesus Christ. In the thinking of mankind, the earthquake that released Jesus from his tomb was The Theological Earthquake that changes every thing in the manner that mankind thinks about God. It is the fundamental basis that revolutionizes, removes, and resets the selfish self-centered thinking of anyone who comes to believe and live in the words, teachings, and behaviors of Jesus Christ. The Grace we receive from God and the thankfulness we feel in our humble hopelessness before God should lead us to being merciful and in grace with others leading us to live a righteous life in God's desires for us.
Grace continued to exist even with the Lieutenant paying for the breakfast. The grace could be considered Divine Grace if the patrolman would have given the waitress a $1,000,000 for the $10 breakfast, coffee and tip before the order was ever placed. This done so as to never allow the Lieutenant the opportunity to pay or for him to even think he could have any part of payment for the breakfast. Then, the Grace was in great abundance long before the lieutenants's realization of grace ever occurred.
In a similar manner, there is nothing we can ever do to even approach God's level of grace He has for us. In fact, it insults Him to think we can even try. He gives us grace in, on, and through our lives and will not and does not accept anything from us to pay the debt! God will not even allow us to have any part in our providing anything toward our debt. It is free, without justice, and that is the only way it will be because that is the everlasting way He wants it. All this Because, God Loves us, and Jesus has already and overwhelmingly paid our debt through His death on the cross.
Our lives most Truly change after we receive the fullness of the God's beneficial grace when we humbly choose, accept, and live in Jesus as our Divine Savior and allow the Holy Spirit to guide, direct, and lead our lives!
Thanks be to God.
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The story herein inspired from the
writings of
Pastor Bob Deffinbaugh
*1 Deffinbaugh, B. http://bible.org/seriespage/grace-god-part-i-ephesians-15-12-21-10
© Lonnie Coggins
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