The Good Shepherd: Devotions Inspired by Psalm 23Àpẹrẹ

Slip ‘n’ Slide Grace 

By Phil King 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV) 

When I was a child, I loved slip ‘n’ slides. You know, those things you set up in the grass on a hot summer day and soak with a garden hose? Yes, those things! Slip ‘n’ slides were one of the greatest highlights of summer for me. One time, just as I was about to jump onto one, the Holy Spirit spoke to me something that was so profound. (What an unusual time to share something profound!) I will never forget what He said: Phillip, you see this slip ‘n’ slide? This is what living in My grace is like. And as quickly as He said it, the word “grace” came alive to me. 

So what do a slip ‘n’ slide and God’s grace have in common? Well, a slip ‘n’ slide has the amazing ability to transport you from one place to another with very little effort. It reduces resistance and friction, allowing you to move in a fashion and direction in which you could not move on your own. God's grace is the same; just like the old hymn says, amazing grace is what delivers “a wretch like me” from the past reality of being a wretch to the present reality of being saved. It moves me from a state of being lost to being found. And just like a slip ‘n’ slide, here’s what’s so amazing: I have nothing to do with it. I know I have never arrived anywhere good by my own effort. Rather, just like I would effortlessly cruise down a slip ‘n’ slide, we don’t receive God’s grace through our own efforts; it has already been freely given to us because of the efforts of His Son. 

There are three basic principles we can learn from slip ‘n’ slides that remind us how to live in God’s overflowing grace. First, our hearts have to be in a prostrate posture. No one gets on a slip ‘n’ slide unless they first bow down. Next time you’re near a slip ‘n’ slide, try traveling down it while standing tall. It’s just not going to work out. To receive God’s grace, we must first have a humble stance in our hearts. (Sidenote: just like children on a slip ‘n’ slide, we can be humble and full of joy at the same time.) The second slip ‘n’ slide principle is to stay on the path set before us. When we sometimes step outside God’s grace and depart from the path He called us to walk, like an unsuccessful ride on a slip ‘n’ slide, we can end up with awful grass burns. Ouch! Jesus doesn’t want us to have “grass burns”; we can and should always remain with Him. Third, just like a slip ‘n’ slide, living in God’s overflowing grace is amazing, exhilarating, and so much fun! As God’s children, what a privilege it is to live in and enjoy His overflowing grace! 

PRAYER 

God, thank You for Your overflowing grace. Give me a humble heart to receive it, help me remain in it, and help me enjoy it. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION    

• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you assume the posture required for living in God’s overflowing grace—a humble heart.    
• Ask God to show you any decisions you’ve made or directions you’ve gone where you might have stepped ahead or attempted to push forward into something that does not have God’s overflowing grace.    
• Ask God to highlight areas where His grace is abounding in your life and the specific plans He has for you.

Holy Spirit, what are You saying to me today?

MEMORY VERSE

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Psalm 23:5