When the last kind word has vanished from our lips;

When the last rich gift has left our bank account;

When the last abandoned child has finally found a home—we still need grace.

When the hymns we sing are clear and sweet;

When we serve with fervor in the job we’re given;

When we’ve prayed for every relative we know—we still need grace.

The good things grace inspires us to do will not reduce our need for grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8-10).

The gift of God, made freely through His Son, is never made unnecessary by how we live beyond. In Jesus’ famous parable, the ones who work from dawn, and those who start near dusk, all get the same reward.

So we confess—if we are young in faith or long upon our knees—that only Christ’s redeeming act ensures our destiny. There is no better gift than grace—to give or to receive.

So stay in it. -Bill Knott