The Economy of Grace

Have you ever wondered how successful God would be as a business owner?

A few years ago I started a business in Ypsilanti Michigan with a few friends.  At the time I had no real background in business. My education and experience were all about theology and ministry.   One of my earliest challenges was to figure out how to participate in the economy of my community well embodying the grace-oriented economy of God.

It became clear very early on the God’s economy doesn’t work the same way as human economies. 

Human economies are often based on debt while God’s economy of grace is an expression of generosity. Human economies are based on the accumulation of goods and services while God’s economy of grace is rooted in doing good and serving people.

I learned that to be a faithful participant in a human economy requires that we first seek to be faithful in the heavenly economy. It’s easy to forget. I think that’s what’s happening in the example Jesus gives us in the passage today. Jesus knows that we’ll be tempted to approach God like we would a business transaction. What we give to God, to our churches, and even to others can sometimes become like a human contract. I might feel I am free to live my life for myself as long as I give a part of my income and time to the church.

Jesus reminds us this isn’t the kind of contact he wants us to live by. God has a different economy. God’s economy is rooted in lives that are engaged in restoration, reconciliation and grace. 

Jesus says that the gifts we bring are not nearly as important as the heart that is being formed in us. We can’t pay our way into God’s economy. The economy of grace is not about balancing the books. It’s more like a dance or a breath. To live in God’s economy offer our whole selves to God and God responds by giving us His whole self in return.

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Question for Today

• What is one way you can live more fully in God’s economy of grace today?