XV
G.L.A.R
‘for the law was given through Moses; ...
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ’ John 1:17
I recently read these words below in Philip Yancey’s book ‘What’s so Amazing about Grace?’ and was struck by the overwhelming power and unfathomable nature of this thing called ‘grace’......see what you think....
‘’...Grace makes its appearance in so many forms that I have trouble defining it. I am ready, though, to attempt something like a definition of Grace in relation to God. Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more – no amount of spiritual calisthenics and renunciations, no amount of knowledge gained from seminaries and divinity schools, no amount of crusading on behalf of righteous causes. And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less – no amount of racism or pride, pornography or adultery or even murder. Grace means that God already loves us as much as an infinite God can possibly love.
There is a simple cure for people who doubt God’s love and questions God’s grace; to turn to the bible and examine the kind of people God loves. It tells of a murderer and adulterer who gained a reputation as the greatest king of the Old Testament, a man after God’s own heart. And of a church being led by a disciple who cursed and swore that he had never known Jesus, And of a missionary being recruited from the ranks of Christian torturers. I get mailings from Amnesty international, and as I look at their photos of men and women who have been beaten and cattle-prodded and jabbed and spit on and electrocuted, I ask myself; ‘what kind of human being could do that to another human being?’ Then I read the book of Acts and meet the kind of person who could do such a thing – now an apostle of grace, a servant of Jesus Christ, the greatest missionary history has ever known. If God can love that kind of person, maybe, just maybe, he can love the likes of me.
I cannot moderate my definition of grace....because the bible forces me to make it as sweeping as possible. God is ‘the God of all grace’ in the Apostle Peter’s words (1 Peter 5:10). It means that I, even I who deserves the opposite, am invited to take my place at the table in God’s family.
The world runs by ungrace. Everything depends on what I do. Jesus’ kingdom calls us to another way, one that depends not on our performance but his own. We do not have to achieve but only follow. He has already earned for us the costly victory of God’s acceptance....’’
If I’m honest, I’m selfishly writing this devotion as a letter to myself because this is a message I need to hear again today. God’s grace is a force we can’t contain. His grace is like a river it consumes and covers, flowing over all of us, drenching and enveloping us. But what is our response?? Graham Kendrick was once asked to define the art of leading worship, he simply said ‘be a worshiper, be a servant and be yourself’. Love God, serve his people and be the person he created you to be. This is our response and our calling.
The enormity of what Jesus did only sinks in when I realise that he did it for me. We have much cause to worship, for as one of my favourite songs goes...‘Grace Like A River, is flowing down, on you and me’
‘’...Grace makes its appearance in so many forms that I have trouble defining it. I am ready, though, to attempt something like a definition of Grace in relation to God. Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more – no amount of spiritual calisthenics and renunciations, no amount of knowledge gained from seminaries and divinity schools, no amount of crusading on behalf of righteous causes. And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less – no amount of racism or pride, pornography or adultery or even murder. Grace means that God already loves us as much as an infinite God can possibly love.
There is a simple cure for people who doubt God’s love and questions God’s grace; to turn to the bible and examine the kind of people God loves. It tells of a murderer and adulterer who gained a reputation as the greatest king of the Old Testament, a man after God’s own heart. And of a church being led by a disciple who cursed and swore that he had never known Jesus, And of a missionary being recruited from the ranks of Christian torturers. I get mailings from Amnesty international, and as I look at their photos of men and women who have been beaten and cattle-prodded and jabbed and spit on and electrocuted, I ask myself; ‘what kind of human being could do that to another human being?’ Then I read the book of Acts and meet the kind of person who could do such a thing – now an apostle of grace, a servant of Jesus Christ, the greatest missionary history has ever known. If God can love that kind of person, maybe, just maybe, he can love the likes of me.
I cannot moderate my definition of grace....because the bible forces me to make it as sweeping as possible. God is ‘the God of all grace’ in the Apostle Peter’s words (1 Peter 5:10). It means that I, even I who deserves the opposite, am invited to take my place at the table in God’s family.
The world runs by ungrace. Everything depends on what I do. Jesus’ kingdom calls us to another way, one that depends not on our performance but his own. We do not have to achieve but only follow. He has already earned for us the costly victory of God’s acceptance....’’
If I’m honest, I’m selfishly writing this devotion as a letter to myself because this is a message I need to hear again today. God’s grace is a force we can’t contain. His grace is like a river it consumes and covers, flowing over all of us, drenching and enveloping us. But what is our response?? Graham Kendrick was once asked to define the art of leading worship, he simply said ‘be a worshiper, be a servant and be yourself’. Love God, serve his people and be the person he created you to be. This is our response and our calling.
The enormity of what Jesus did only sinks in when I realise that he did it for me. We have much cause to worship, for as one of my favourite songs goes...‘Grace Like A River, is flowing down, on you and me’
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