Thoughts on Grace

As I sit waiting for my next class to begin, my thoughts turn to the amazing message I listened to Sunday out of Romans 4:5. To ponder the depths of grace and to think about God's amazing, uncomprehensible love can be mind boggling. It is hard to wrap our minds around the truth that it is by grace we are saved...by grace that our sins were removed...by grace they were placed upon Christ...by grace they were paid for by Christ...by grace Christ gave us His righteousness...by grace we stand not as sinners stained by sin, but as saints clothed in righteousness not our own. Why? Why are we given grace when all we deserve is hell? Why did God show mercy when we hated Him? God sent His only Son to die and bear His wrath when we were yet sinners...our salvation has nothing to do with us and our actions, and has all to do with His grace. He justified us while we were yet sinners for His glory and our joy.

The Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is the example Jesus chose to demonstrate this great love that God has for sinners. The story lines: A father rejected by a selfish, rebellious, younger son who demands his inheritance---in essence telling his father, "I wish you were dead, so I could have what's mine!"The father liquidating the land that was to be his younger son's inheritance and giving it to him. The son leaving home---disgracing his father---spending his money on prostitutes, a life of immorality. Famine striking the land causing the son to hire himself out to feed pigs. Coming to his senses when he realizes that his father's servants eat better than him. Returning to his father in repentance, but the father has already been searching for the son. When the father sees his wayward son he runs full speed to meet him, wraps his arms around him, protects him, kisses him, and already had forgiven him. The son tries to put forth his prepared repentance speech, telling his father he was not worthy to be called a son, but asks to be made a servant. The father putting his ring on the son's finger, calling the servants to bring the best robe---the father's robe---and place it on the unworthy son, and telling them to kill the fattened calf for this son of his was dead but is now alive; was blind but has received back his sight. The son was not worthy---but the father made him worthy by placing his own robe on him. The son should have been killed, but the Father gave him mercy and showed him grace. The older, religious son angered by the father's actions---jealous, bitter, and refused to be apart of the father's celebration. The story concludes---the younger son is restored, the father is overjoyed, and the older brother is enraged.

But the story was not finished for in essence the end of the tale came after Christ told it...for someone did pay for the sin---Christ did. He gave mercy and grace and then offered His body, His blood in order to take our place. The picture is powerful, but it receives its power from that which it portrays---Christ giving Himself for sinners, taking upon Himself our sin, bearing God's wrath, being forsaken by His Father, in order that we might be reconciled---so we could have peace with God. What an amazing God we have who has removed our sin, never to be brought up again. Christ took care of it at the cross. We can stand today before the Father because of Christ---so let us fix our eyes on Jesus (not on our sin that seems to hold us captive at times), continually remembering what He has done for us---remembering that we are saved by grace and sustained by the same grace, the grace of God.

Meditations

"Forgiveness is like a violet sending forth its pure fragrance on the heel of the boot of the one who crushed it."

~Author Unknown

Forgiveness is love, grace, and mercy in action. The three bound together in prayer produce true, genuine forgiveness. Love overlooks a hurt inflicted whether unintentional or on purpose. It is not concerned about the pain received, but the person who caused the pain. Grace looks to the cross and acknowledges that Christ already paid the penalty for the wrong committed and chooses to forget the offense because it was paid for by the blood of Christ. Mercy pours out upon the offender as love overlooks and grace forgets the hurt caused and the offense committed. In essence, forgiveness is the gift of mercy given in love and wrapped in grace, bought by the blood of Christ that was shed on the cross.

Forgiveness is to be given freely no matter what the circumstances may be because its price has already been paid by another. Since Christ has forgiven us our sins so we too must forgive others their sins. The price of an unforgiving spirit will cost more than any of us can pay. When we refuse to forgive, we deteriorate from the inside out, consumed by our bitterness.

Forgiveness is not easy, but it is what children of God are called to do. It can only be bestowed as we fix our eyes on Jesus who has already forgiven us, relying upon Him for strength and help to put love, grace, and mercy into action. He alone can and will enable us to follow in His steps. As a violet releases its beautiful fragrance when it is crushed so we should be the same way by forgiving others in a spirit of love.

Thoughts from My Day

Today God has impressed my heart with His great faithfulness and the merciful way He deals with His children daily. I sin momentarily, forsaking my precious Lord and Savior, but I rejoice that He remains faithful when I am faithless---He finds me when I have lost my way. My heart is overwhelmed, but when I fix my eyes upon Christ and not upon the waves surrounding me, I find peace---peace not of this world, but peace that can only be attributed to my heavenly Father.

As I am tormented by the waves and storms of this life, I cry out to God and His reply is TRUST. I find that it hurts to trust---to let go of my scattered dreams and desires and hand them over to my kind Creator. I struggle, but Christ is greater than my struggles; I hurt, but the joy I have in Christ is greater; and I grow weary, but Christ's strength never runs out.

Knowing that I am held in sovereign, loving hands, encouraged my heart today. Remembering that I am hidden in Christ---that I am not my own, but have been bought by Christ's blood---makes my soul rejoice.

Almighty Father, I praise you that I am Your child. You are my daily strength, my constant joy, my sustaining grace, my gracious Lord, my mighty rock, my shelter, and my sure foundation. Fix my wandering eyes on You and uphold me today. I rest in Your arms, safe from the storms around me.