But the grace of our Lord was fully given [overflowed; abounded] to me, and with that grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:14 (EXB)

Reaching out to those whom religion would never touch is one of the many wonderful lessons we can learn from Jesus. They were His targeted audience. Our Lord demonstrated amazing and relentless grace to those who needed it the most. And we should ask and receive from Him the ability to do the same.

A close reading of the four gospels reveals how Jesus healed and welcomed those who were rejected by religion due to their physical conditions (the lepers, blind, and crippled), social circumstances (the uneducated, prostitutes, and tax collectors), and skin colour (the "half-breed" Samaritans and the foreign Gentiles).

While we can be fully convinced of how magnificent and free God's grace is, we can still try to control it because we haven't fully grasped the generous fullness of God's heart. This was the context for the debate over Gentile believers' acceptance into the early church by grace through faith alone. And this is why the Apostle Paul chastised the Galatians for their hasty departure from Christ's finished work to a false gospel of works and self-salvation.

God's grace is incomprehensible and transcends our comprehension. Paul was so "radicalised" by grace that he could immediately put away his old life of hatred and violence. He explained that grace enabled him to have the faith to embrace God's love and the love to proclaim God's grace.

Grace is truly liberating!

However, if you can pursue grace, you will soon discover that grace isn't just for the saved and the churched. Grace is also freely available to unchurched and unsaved people. Simply put, grace is always given to the undeserving. If your understanding of grace does not lead you to show love, generosity, and compassion, please reconsider and adjust your attitude and approach accordingly. Remember God has freely given you His grace to love those who need it more.

Be like Jesus and don't be afraid to reach out because amazing things can and often happen.