GRACE!!

Grace is so misunderstood. I think that’s because it’s a total God thing. I had a person in my office recently who was lamenting the fact that they “weren't DOING enough for God.” I reminded them that we don’t go to Heaven because of what we DO nor do we go because of what we DON’T do. We go or don’t go based solely on our acceptance of the sacrifice of the cross of Christ. What can wash away my sin? NOTHING but the blood of Jesus! In the Old Testament God used an adulterous, murderer to become the greatest king Israel ever had. In the New Testament He used a Christ denier to preach the message at Pentecost that exploded the birth of the Church! Yeah…believe it or not…God uses failures! That’s GRACE! We need to remember that when WE deal with people who experience failure. Scripture doesn’t say we should gloat over their failure. It doesn’t say we should say “I told you so” when they fail. Rather it says “when we see a person overtaken in a fault…you who are spiritual (not better than or perfect just spiritual) RESTORE such a one in the spirit of meekness!” To me the spirit of meekness is that spirit that says “there but for the GRACE of God could be me or HAS been me in the past and I want to help! Grace has its own politics. When someone ELSE needs grace we want to dole it out slowly…with all kind of conditions and at a price that WE determine! Oh but when WE need grace…well…they can’t get the floodgates open fast enough or wide enough for US! Bottom line is this: If it’s not God’s grace that does the doing…then none of us can go and there is NONE of us that are righteous…nope…not even ONE!