As I walked through Versailles, the extravagance of the palace overwhelmed my senses. It seemed like everything contained gold or other expensive jewels and materials. The tapestries included strands of gold thread. Gold plating covered most of the furniture and woodwork. Impressive marble statues graced every room. Yet Versailles Palace pales in comparison to what God provides for us.
Ephesians 1:7-8 describes God’s abundance, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.” Notice the two words riches and lavished.
Think about God’s riches. Is there anything He doesn’t have? The Bible tells us God uses gold for street pavement (Revelations 21:21) and he owns the cattle of a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). We also cling to the promise of Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Like the Ephesians verse, He supplies all needs according to His riches. Not Wall Street. Not our bank account. Not our employer or parents.
Yet, God’s riches far exceed financial resources. In Ephesians we see the riches of His grace. The beauty of what Christ accomplished on the cross and through His resurrection demonstrates that richness better than anything else can.
God saw our condition. We were lost in our sin with no way of escape. Nothing could be done in our own strength to save ourselves. God steps in, giving His own Son to take our punishment, to pay the price for our sin. In exchange, if we accept His gift, we receive redemption. We spend eternity with Him in heaven as His heirs. He adopted us and promised us an inheritance (Ephesians 1:5, 11). He did all of this before we were born…before we could do anything to “earn” His love. That is extravagant grace!
Below are some reminders of God’s lavishness. I encourage you to look this up and highlight every reference to His extravagance.
Psalm 147:5, “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power, his understanding is beyond measure.”
I Corinthians 2:9, “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.’”
Ephesians 1:18-19, “Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might.”
Ephesians 3:19, “And to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Colossians 1:17, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
May you experience the lavish, extravagant love of God today and every day.