There are days when I feel I have gone as far as I can in this journey of following Jesus. At those moments all I can see before me is a mountain so high and sheer, I can't even imagine getting over it! The daunting task of getting over one more issue or through one more problematic failure sucks the spiritual wind out of me. It is then I find it easier to trust anything but the miracle of grace. Why?
It's not that I don't believe in grace at all. I do. I believe in grace a lot. Did you hear that? 'I believe in grace a lot.' The deadly problem; at those seeming insurmountable faith crisis moments, I believe in grace a lot! I don't believe in grace alone! The religious flesh raises it's ugly head in my soul and whispers to my delicate belief system; you need to 'do' something to add to the work of Christ. Jesus almost finished the work of salvation? Except, it is not that obvious--it's like the snake in the garden, planting the tiniest seed of doubt. And what do I do? I agree with his lie. If only for a fleeting moment, I entertain doubt. And in so doing; I have the audacity to call into question the integrity of the finished work of Jesus! "Faith's only function is to receive what grace offers." John Stott
Grace is not grace until we are absolutely convinced that we can add nothing to it. We are helpless and hopeless apart from Grace alone! The moment we do anything to fix, alter or change ourself or others, we step out of the wide open space of grace and return to a demanding, rigid taskmaster of rule and law keeping. And we immediately return to a wearying merry-go-round of striving for God's approval. It gets worse! We then turn our backs on the precious freedom grace alone empowers.
The Old Testament prophet Zerubbabel has a word that helps me gain and keep grace perspective. "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the Lord of hosts. 7 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' " Zechariah 4: 6-7 (NKJV) Grace is not a whispering matter. No! It is a shouting matter. Yes, shout grace to your mountain! Our daily, moment by moment walk with Jesus is never about our might, resolve, or good intentions. And it is never more complicated than trusting in his Spirit to unfold the grace of God before us. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8 We contribute nothing!
Shout this message of grace to your life; "Christ redeemed (me) us from the self-defeating, cursed life (of spiritual and moral performance) by absorbing it completely into himself." (Galatians 3:13 MSG) Say NO to the rules and lists. Say NO to slavery and performance. Shout Grace to all of your life! Once and for all; "Your hearts should be strengthened by God's grace, not by obeying rules." (Hebrews 13:9 NASB) Was his invitation to grace, Come to me, all you who are doing good on your own? Nope! Totally and conclusively the exact opposite.
Saturate your heart with the following: "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG) Trust Jesus. Let his grace happen. Stop performing for him, no more striving for his affection and approval. Because of great grace, you already have both. Go ahead; you can immediately and always stretch yourself out in the hammock of grace. You can rest now.
"With great power, the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Great grace was on them all." (Acts 4:33 WEB) Great grace is on you. "God's promise (of great grace) arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it." (Romans 4:16 MSG)
"Grace is God loving, God stooping, God coming to the rescue, God giving himself generously in and through Jesus Christ." John Stott Live each day in the grip of His loving grace! Jesus, the following song captures my heart! You and your grace are beautiful! Ron Ross
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