Grace Demands MORE

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast."
I would just like to start out with... I thoroughly, completely and utterly, believe this. Some points in my Life I have forgotten that what Jesus did for me is more than I could ever dream of doing..and that I will never, ever be able to save myself. During these times I would try to be a "good person". Soon after, I come to this earth shattering conclusion that I am not a good person and am nothing without my Savior by my side. I love this verse, for it is a constant reminder that I am not enough..and only Jesus is. However, I find that all too often I leave it at grace.. and I forget that GRACE in it's entirity requires me to react. Grace demands more.
Brent Crowe puts this into amazing words, "An exploration of freedom in Christ leads to one conclusion: The grace extended to me by God demands an exhaustive response." This grace demands that I love those who hurt me tremendously. It demands that I am different. Beckons me to be set apart and willing to be persecuted. This grace calls me to, in every way I possibly can, be a servant to those around me and humble myself. 
During this time in life (the "teenage" years), one can so easily "get away with" walking in the ways of the world and making the age old mistakes of teenagehood. But instead of being like another face in the crowd of averageness this GRACE calls its believers out...name by name...to follow a different path, be defined by a different calling and live a different life. 
I know that this is, oh, so difficult, but HOW worth it will it be in the end when I am standing in front of Jesus and He says "well done my good and faithful servant."