Grace

I've been thinking a lot, lately about grace. I suppose that's why I chose it as the focus of the newsletter this month.

                          ~Grace~

We say it before meals. We name our daughters after it. We describe beautiful, sophisticated women, and skillful dancers by it... saying they are "graceful".

Many honor Mary, the mother of Jesus with a prayer that says

"Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee... Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus"

Think about that. "Full of grace". Full... of unmerited favor from God.

These days, we don't get unmerited anything...from anyone. Yet...God... still offers His favor... free of charge. Unearned. Grace

It astounds me that more people don't run eagerly towards that, and I have to wonder why.

The only answer I can come up with is that they do not truely believe that it is free and unearned. They are suspicious of God's motives. They think He might require something from them that they are unable to give. Or do not want to give. I mean... nothing is "free", right?

Yet God is not a man that He should lie. Indeed...it is impossible for Him to lie.

Satan, on the other hand, is "the father of all lies"... and He has no new tricks. He still manages to deceive men and women the same way he did in the garden of Eden.

What was it the devil said to Eve when she told him they were not allowed to partake of the fruit of that one tree?   

They were not allowed, God had said, because it would kill them.

"You will not surely die!", the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God...knowing good and evil".

I can just hear him blowing air through pursed lips and spouting something like..."pish, posh... He just doesn't want you have what He has... He's like that, you know... wants it all for Himself"

And Eve bought it... instantly losing the grace that was hers.  Embracing, instead, the lie of the devil that introduced her to death.

What do you think? Was she naive? Was she curious? Was she just plain naughty and disobedient?

Did you ever think that she had never ever heard a lie before?

Now you and I have heard plenty of them. And we usually know when someone is trying to sell us a bill of goods. Thats why we have mute buttons on our remotes.

But Eve... she had never heard a lie. Still... she must have known that it was not the Father's nature to be what Satan was trying to make her believe. There must have been some sort of conflict going on in her heart and mind.

Would that she had said, "I don't know about that... but I know Him. And He only wants the best for me. I think I'll talk to Him and see what He answers me concerning this"

But she did not.

Now you are smarter than that, correct?

Yet, He says in Ephesians 2:4-9;

"But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions...it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus...in order that in the coming ages He might show the incomparable riches of His grace...expressed in His kindness to us by Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God...not of works, so that no one can boast."

And what does that cost us? Nothing. It is free. ok, ok... it costs us "belief". He says, we have to "believe" it... and "say" we believe it. Romans 10:9,10.

That's it? Just believe it...and tell Him? yep..

Oh, yeah... it costs us our sin. We have to believe that Jesus took it.  And we have to be willing to give it to Him every day...and every time we sin... 1John 1:9.

You mean go on "sinning" and just believe that it's forgiven for the asking?

yep...

We cannot do anything else. 1 John says if we say we do not sin...we lie. We do sin. Every day. We try not to. But we goof up. We are unkind, unloving, ungrateful, mean spirited... selfish.

We don't have to commit adultery or murder someone.

We only have to think lustful thoughts... and Jesus said that is adultery.

Or say unkind things about others...and He called that murder.

See why we need grace?

And we have to call sin...sin. Not "disfunction". Not "addiction". Not "problematic", and all the other euphemisms that modern man has come up with to excuse sin, rather than believe that Jesus took it on the cross...for them... by His Grace.

But instead of just...believing and telling Him we believe... we read another self-help book, or see a psychiatrist or watch another segment of Oprah. And we do not see that we are trying to "pay" for something that is already paid for... Thus nullifying it. See Galatians 2:21.

We think we are smarter than Eve. But we are falling for the same trick when we believe the devil's lie every time he comes to bring guilt and shame.

Instead of calling it what it is, and going to the cross...we choose to wear guilt and shame like some kind of boy scout merit badge that we take out of the shoebox and polish from time to time as we remember the "sin" and make ourselves a promise to do better. When we know we cannot. We need...grace, for that.

We feel bad and don't tell anyone at church...because then they will know we sinned. We just suck it up and go another day...and hurt in places we shouldn't. It feels normal to feel guilty...and we do not realize that we are trying to earn through "works"... "guilt"... what is already paid for... through His precious grace.

Still think you're smarter than Eve? Has the enemy of your soul convinced you that you can be "good". Or that you can earn forgiveness with your guilt?

Or do you run for the cross and receive His grace...everyday. Being humbled by the knowing that there is nothing you can do... but trust in His grace and mercy?

Funny thing is... when you do... He puts a new Spirit within you, and godly fruit develops from it... and you actually can do better because of that fruit... love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, meekness...and self-control... becomes yours... through His grace.

Is it you whose doing better, though?  Or is it Jesus, in you...the hope of glory?

The more I think about it... the sweeter it becomes.

Grace... unmerited favor. Nothing you can do will "earn" it. It is a gift.

It reminds me of a story about a little boy and a strawberry shortcake. But I think I'll save that for the newsletter. It's all about grace this month. See you there.  Kate~

Comments

[Melissa]

Wow. This was so awesome and powerful. I need to come back and read it everyday. You are a very talented and annointed author. And what a hook to your newsletter, if I wasn't already subscribed I would have done that in a heartbeat! :-)

Can't wait to read more!