Grace Outside the Box

<p>Tom worked for a law firm that advised Bob&rsquo;s company. They became friends&mdash;until Tom embezzled thousands of dollars from the company. Bob was hurt and angry when he found out, but he received wise counsel from his vice president, a believer in Christ. The VP noticed Tom was deeply ashamed and repentant, and he advised Bob to drop the charges and hire Tom. &ldquo;Pay him a modest salary so he can make restitution. You&rsquo;ll never have a more grateful, loyal employee.&rdquo; Bob did, and Tom was.</p> <p>Mephibosheth, grandson of King Saul, hadn&rsquo;t done anything wrong, but he was in a tough spot when David became king. Most kings killed the royal bloodline. But David loved King Saul&rsquo;s son Jonathan, and treated his surviving son as his own (see 2 Samuel 9:1&ndash;13). His grace won a friend for life. Mephibosheth marveled that he &ldquo;deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place&rdquo; (19:28). He remained loyal to David, even when David&rsquo;s son Absalom chased David from Jerusalem (2 Samuel 16:1&ndash;4; 19:24&ndash;30). </p> <p>Do you want a loyal friend for life? Someone so extraordinary may require you to do something extraordinary. When common sense says punish, choose grace. Hold them accountable, but give the undeserving a chance to make things right. You may never find a more grateful, devoted friend. Think outside the box, with grace.</p>