I ran across Hebrews 12:15 again today: "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God."

Grace is somewhat captured in the acrostic, God's Riches At Christ's Expense. But while clever, this definition misses the relational and personal reality that grace is a person, the person of Jesus Christ.

When considering grace, we must think relationally, not conceptually. The person of Jesus Christ—grace personified—is a courageous endowment of God.

He is opposed to legalism.

He shows us God in full measure.

Solomon records that God gives grace—the person of Jesus—to the afflicted (Pro. 3:34). In all candor, when I’m afflicted my first inclination is to want deliverance, and sometimes God does deliver. But God always gives the grace of Jesus during affliction.

The cost of grace is our Father’s willingness to invest everything in grace. It cost the life of our Elder Brother to convey grace. We live in grace when we exemplify a resolute, Spirit-empowered strength regardless of circumstances that declares, “I will not fall short of grace and rely upon my own resourcefulness.”

But falling short is not as simple as resolving yourself to do otherwise. Whether you fall short or not is important to God--and it is important to the enemy of God. More about this is next.