'Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up...' Acts 20:23
Usually grace is defined as God's unmerited favor. I have heard it defined as getting what you do not deserve.
Grace, says one writer, is "shorthand for God's redeeming love".
Grace as undeserved favor is a concept that is still used in the business world. Companies sometimes say concerning a claim; "We do not accept liability for this claim, but we will make an ex Gratia {out of grace] payment.
They acknowledge no liability but out of good will they make a token payment.
And agreements sometimes contain a grace period in which one party freely gives another party time to rectify a fault.
Why grace?
Man is Broken, he lives by mending. The Grace of God is the glue.
-Eugene O'Neill
One person said: "Grace always has a stoop in it. Love reaches out on the same level but Grace reaches down to pick us up."
Grace Like water, flows to the lowest part.
-Phillip Yancey
Certainly grace is giving up your only son to die for a wretched sinful people. That is "Amazing Grace".
One of the best definitions of grace I have come across is ;
Grace is the strength God gives us which enables us to live or do as Jesus would do were He in our situation.
Remember God's grace is always there for us even when we don't realize it.
God sometimes does His work with gentle drizzle, not storms.
-John Newton
Grace is Given to heal the spiritually sick, not to decorate spiritual hero's.
-Martin Luther
However, we should not think of grace merely as merited favor or the living kindness of God. It is important to recognize also that it is an inner strength He lends to men and women like ourselves, who need a power other than their own to cope with the various issues and problems that life brings. Nothing can happen in your life today for which divine strength will not be given. Through God's grace we can handle anything that comes, providing of course we avail ourselves of it. We must be willing to receive.
Through my dangers, toils and snares, I have come;
"Tis grace has brought me safe this far and grace will lead me home"
-John Newton