Better Than Flowers and Chocolate

Love is in the air and cupid is drawing back his bow. It's Valentines Day weekend and men all over the country are getting charged an arm and a leg for flowers and chocolate. All of this in the name of love. A loving gesture to show the women in our lives how much we care about them. And most women love it. It's that not so unexpected gesture that makes them feel valued and cherished for at least one day out of the year. But let's be honest...men want to feel like they're special too. Maybe it's not a desire to be cherished, but rather respected, needed and loved. What if we could feel these things all of the time? What if there was something out there that would give us what our heart truly desires? What if there was such a gift that never decayed, went out of style, or left us wanting more?
I've received this gift. It's beautiful, timeless, undeserved, overwhelming, intricately complex, yet so simple. It's God's generous gift of grace.
Grace could be described by saying that it isn't getting what you deserve and getting what you don't deserve. Instead of receiving the punishment that we deserve, God took that punishment upon Himself when His perfect Son died on the cross in our place. This gift is described beautifully in the book of Romans.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Even though we deserve death and separation from God, we can choose to receive the gift of grace from Him and live for eternity in His presence. Grace takes our sin and ugliness and makes us perfect in God's eyes. All we have to do is declare Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and submit to His lordship in our lives. By trusting and putting our faith in Him, we secure our place with Him for eternity. Grace is a perfect gift and it's most definitely better than flowers and chocolate.
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,


GRACE
Grace, she takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace...
It's a name for a girl
It's also a thought that, changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma, karma
She travels outside... of karma

When she goes to work, you can hear the strings
Grace finds beauty in everything

Grace...
She carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings...
Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty in everything
-U2