The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT). You might say that grace is the gift that keeps on giving.

In fact, God’s grace will last all the way to heaven—and through eternity. What’s heaven going to be like? You’re going to be reunited with loved ones who know the Lord. You’ll be rewarded for your faith. You’ll be assigned work that you love to do. You will be released from pain, depression, despair, shame, and guilt. And you’re going to rejoice and party for eternity. What a deal!

Spending an eternity in heaven is a free gift—you don’t need to earn it. In fact, you can only get to heaven by the grace of God. It’s the best deal anyone will ever offer you.

But there’s a catch: You have to accept it. The Bible says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13 NIV).

To receive the grace of God, you have to call out to him; you have to accept his amazing grace.

Imagine going home today and finding a gift on your table, but you leave it there for an entire year, unopened. That would be ridiculous! A gift is worthless unless you accept it.

In the same way, for the gift of God’s grace to make any difference in your life, you have to accept it.

Sometimes people hold off on accepting God’s grace because they’re afraid of being rejected. It’s true that friends and even family may reject you. But God isn’t mad at you and will never reject you. In fact, he longs to give you the gift of his grace and secure a future for you in heaven. The Bible says, “The Lord longs to be gracious to you” (Isaiah 30:18 NIV).

Have you been overwhelmed by shame or fear of rejection? You can get rid of that feeling today. You just need to accept the gift of God’s grace!