I don’t know about you, but I find a certain beauty in “perfection” (and I use that word loosely). What I mean is that when things are where they belong or are functioning as they were designed to, it gives me a sense of satisfaction, a sense of fulfillment when all of the chips fall into their proper place.

But what about when they don’t? When plans don’t go off without a hitch or when a properly cleaned space, that once shone with order becomes an undone mess? How does that make us feel about that job, project, person, or place?

When things are “perfect,” altogether, and nice, without any mess, madness, or flaws, we tend to value those times, moments, and things a little more. But when it comes to people who are less than perfect (hint: that’s all of us), God showed us just how much He values us, and despite our imperfections, He chose to love us perfectly. When we were in our mess of worldly pursuits and fleshly desires, God saw the deepest need of our hearts and souls for a Savior who would heal, reconcile, and deliver people, and He provided the remedy for that need through our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are a lot of things we can do for ourselves, but one thing that is solidly taught in the Bible is that we CANNOT save ourselves. We not only do not have the power, but we don’t possess the capacity for the wisdom, love, understanding, eternity, and everything in between that it takes to not only come up with this plan of salvation but to fully execute it thoroughly, without flaw or failure, from the beginning of time to the very end.

Thankfully, it was God who took the initiative to not only come up with the plan but to implement it fully by His grace to save our souls. And the beauty of the story is, that He didn’t wait for us to get our act together to do it. His love wanted the plan because His love wanted the people. With that, Ephesians tells us, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (2:4,5; emphasis added). 

God had compassion for struggling humanity and refused to leave them tangled in the way of sin without a way out, without a plan for deliverance.  His love would not and could not settle with the very idea of it.  So, when we were at our worst, God was working out His best for us.  Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

He didn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up and get perfect to put His plan of love in motion.  That is a sheer impossibility regardless. Further proof of that truth comes from 1 John 4:19 which says, “We love him, because he first loved us.” 

With that, we are told, “Even when we were dead in sins…”  Even when we were torn up from the floor up…  Even when our lives contradicted everything He wanted for us…  Even when we were going nowhere fast…  Even when we were enjoying living lives ensconced by the dark…  God stepped in with His plan of salvation and “commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ephesians continues to tell us, that God “hath quickened us together with Christ.”  As our Savior was raised from the dead, God in His saving love raised those who believe to a restored life, a brand new life made possible through Jesus Christ.  God’s rich mercy became our lifesaver tossed out in the sea of sin where we were drowning, to bring us to the shores of His redeeming love.  No, we didn’t deserve it, nor could we earn it on our own merit.  God simply put this plan to save mankind from himself and the enemy of our soul into action because He loved us.  Love was His only motivation.  Love steered Him to take the course of action that put His only begotten Son on the cross in our place.  Love and only love was His reason for everything!

Thus, as believers, we readily recognize this is nothing short of a God-sized miracle worked out in our lives.  For it is “by grace ye are saved.”  It doesn’t matter who you are or what your situation, position, circumstance, or status is in life, the only way one can enter into a renewed relationship with God is through the grace and forgiveness offered through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.  You cannot earn your way into it.  You cannot work your way into it. You can’t bargain your way there, either.  Only by going through the doors of the plan of His grace can you be saved.

What would happen if today God sat down and took account of all the wrongs we have done?  What would it be like if we stood before Him unable to pay what we owe?  Guess What?  We were there!  We could never pay for it. Jesus knew the predicament that humanity was in.  He knew that man could never get himself out of the debt of sin, so through Him, we obtained freedom from the old life we lived through grace, mercy, and compassion as people who do not deserve it but He loved into it.

We could not fathom how many times our accounts would have gone unpaid had it not been for the blood of Christ. But thank God, He acted in love to save us!  Not just us – but everyone who comes to Him in faith regardless of their background.  It is all a work of grace.  It is all done as the ultimate act of love, even when we didn’t perfectly deserve any of it.

When Jesus encountered the young rich ruler who thought he checked off the list of do’s and don’ts perfectly, the Bible said, “Jesus beholding him loved him…” and then disclosed what the young man needed to do before he walked away sad (Mark 10:21). 

God loves us and as any parent who wants the best for their child, He gave us His best even when…

But His best will only work if you and I will do what we need to do and accept it, accept Jesus.

Today can be your biggest turnaround. Today can be your day of freedom. Today, you can turn your even when into a now, and be saved.

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