Grace Makes Life Enjoyable

One of the best things we can do is to learn to appreciate the present circumstances of our lives. When we do, we avoid the deadly trap of always waiting and hoping for the time when everything will be perfect. Perfect doesn’t exist on this earth, and we will never see perfection until Heaven. Accepting our life doesn’t mean we don’t strive for improvement. Doing the best we can is part of who we are as committed believers of Christ. However, when we hold onto unrealistic expectations for ourselves and others, we contribute to our own sadness. Paul encouraged us to think like this: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Col. 3:23-24). So often, our dream of perfection is about more money and more things. Paul warned us about this: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17). God wants us to enjoy our life, with him, with our family and friends and be grateful for what he has given us.

Our need for grace is great. We need grace from God and from others, and we need to show grace to God. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian was shown a room full of dust. A damsel came into the room and began sweeping. She stirred up so much dust that Christian began to choke. Then she fetched a pail of water, sprinkled the floor, and swept. Now there was very little dust. The interpreter who was explaining the meaning told him sweeping without the water was the work of the law. It does not do the job, and it is painful in its effort. The springled water was the work of grace. Likewise, when we expect perfection out of our children, our spouses, we choke the life out of them. When, however, we give them grace, we see them flourish.

Job said this world is full of trouble and we cannot avoid it, “Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). We can, however, face that trouble with grace, which makes our life so very different.

Paul viewed his trouble of being a Roman prisoner with grace: “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear” (Philippians 1:12-14). What a difference grace makes!

Open Or Closed Hand

 

I once heard Cory Ten Boom speak. She had us hold our hands in a clenched fist. She said that life makes a person close their hand with the hurts that come our way. God wants us to live with an open hand. She said, “It is better to open your hand to God, but if we don’t, he will pry it open, and it hurts when he does.”

Living with an open heart that is receptive to God’s kindness and love is essential to living a meaningful life. Jesus told a parable that demonstrated the opposite when people reject God’s kindness. A father who had two sons. He asked the first to go work in his vineyard. He answered, “I won’t, but later changed his mind and went.” The second, said he would, but later did not go (Matthew 21:33-39). Jesus was pointing to tax collectors and prostitutes who were immoral but listened and repented. At the same time, the Pharisees pretended to be righteous but were not.

Luke told the story of a woman who came to a dinner uninvited, where Jesus was the guest, and wept over his feet and dried them with her hair. Then she broke an alabaster jar of perfume and anointed his feet. When the host, Simon saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner” (Luke 7:39).

Jesus told him a story: “Simon, I have something to tell you.”  “Tell me, teacher,” he said.“ Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. (Luke 7:40-43).

The point of the story was that the woman had an open hand and an open heart to receive God’s grace, while Simon did not. Jesus said that the person who had the bigger debt forgiven would love the most. It was true of these two. Simon did not have a debt to be forgiven, at least that is what he thought. His heart was closed.

Jesus turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house.  You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You didn’t put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. (Luke 7:44-46).

When Jesus said to her, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:47-48). The thought is not that her great love for Christ earned her forgiveness, but rather, this extravagant display of love was the result of being forgiven and living with an open heart.

David Knew

 After David became King of all Israel, he captured Jerusalem and made it his city. It became known as the City of David, as it is to this day. The occupants were the Jebusites and should have been conquered when Joshua led the Israelites in the conquest of the Promised Land, but this was one of the parts that remained unconquered. The Jebusites felt secure in their fortified city, so they said they were not worried about David and his men entering their city. In fact, they said, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off” (2 Samuel 5:6). They certainly underestimated David because his men gained access to the city and conquered it for David. It appears they used the water system to enter the city and capture it and its occupants without much of a fight. Maybe a less courageous king would have thought there was no way he could overcome that fortified city, but not David. David’s life is inspiring on many levels. His willingness to fight when the odds were against him was what he did, from fighting Goliath to conquering Jerusalem.

The narrator of 2 Samuel says that God was blessing David’s life: “And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him” (2 Sam 5:10). God had been blessing David since his youth when he killed Goliath—what seemed an impossible feat. But, this had been happening through the years as God had protected, provided, and guided David through the fugitive years when he was on the run from Saul. Now that he was King, it was even more evident that God made David great.

What is refreshing is verse 12: “Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel” 2 Sam 5:12). David knew what was happening was not because he was making it happen or because someone else was—but it was God. Seeing God’s hand in your life is a blessing beyond description! Can you look back over the years and see God’s hand at work in your life and be grateful for that? Secondly, David knew he had been made King to serve God’s people. He was a different kind of King—like the King born in a stable in Bethlehem. Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. We are to imitate David and Jesus in this way.

Grace That Transforms

 Grace—God’s grace is one of the most beautiful words in any language. Luke gives us a wonderful story of grace in chapter 7. First, there is the unnamed woman. She had an understanding of grace that few people have. Living in a day where grace rarely showed its face, having been transformed by grace, she captured the meaning of grace. We know nothing of this woman other than that she was a sinner. She was very aware that it was Jesus who had changed her life. This woman came boldly to express her gratitude to the one who showed her that grace.

Simon is a curious Pharisee who wants to see Jesus close up. He is intrigued by Jesus but clearly has not had the same personal encounter with him as the woman. Inviting Jesus to a meal allows Simon to observe him. This woman came in without an invitation. She came up behind Jesus and wept, her tears falling on Jesus’ feet. She was broken and contrite. Her actions were very unusual but considered an outrageous act by Simon’s standards. Most everyone was uncomfortable with her act, except Jesus, so no one said anything. Jesus never said anything to her, so she stayed and even went so far as to dry his feet with her hair.

The murmurs gave way to an embarrassing silence as the woman remained bent over the Lord’s feet. To the Pharisees, this was a terrible breach of social morality. She clasped an alabaster vial of concentrated perfume with which she anointed Jesus’ feet. The woman had come because of her overwhelming gratitude and this was her exorbitant expression of it.

Jesus was aware of what Simon was thinking, so he told him this story: Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said. (Luke 7:40-43). The difference between the two debts would have been enormous.  However, what they both had in common was a debt they could neither one pay. Jesus had made an assessment of Simon and the woman.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:44-48).

Jesus nailed it! The more we are forgiven, the more we love. The more we realize that we have been forgiven, the more we love.

Access

The other day, after arriving home from vacation, I stopped by the church to get something. I reached into my pocket to get my keys but didn’t have them. I had no access, and I was locked out. The word access has meaning for us in many different ways. We can access our cars and homes through a key that unlocks them. We have passwords that unlock software programs. When you stay at a hotel, they give you a card that gives you access to your room, any outside doors, and other places in the hotel.

Through Jesus, we have access to the Father. This happens because of Jesus’ death on the cross. Paul explains the benefit of Jesus’ death to the Ephesians: “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:13-14).

Hatred and prejudice are nothing new. Jews and Gentiles held disdain and hatred for each other. Christ brought peace and brought the two groups together. As a person comes to know and love Christ, you also love your neighbor you previously hated. Jesus is the peacemaker between us and the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The sentence “he himself’ is powerfully emphatic, and the emphasis is meant to stir our hearts. As our peace, he “has made the two one by destroying the barrier.

Jesus fulfilled the moral law of the Old Testament, but he set aside all the ceremonial code that hindered the Gentiles. Paul writes: By setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations, Jesus’ purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two by bringing peace (Eph 2:15).

Christ's sacrifice brought freedom and peace. He fulfilled the moral law, keeping all its requirements, but he abolished the Jewish ceremonial law. The ceremonial law’s requirements, with its endless washings and tedious Sabbath restrictions, had been such a barrier, were gone. At the same time, he fulfilled the moral law, giving us access through grace. His sacrifice has liberated us from the burdens of the law and brought us peace. 

Jesus is the ultimate source of unity and reconciliation. In our world, marred by prejudice and hatred, some advocate for divisive measures. They talk of elevating one race over another. But they are mistaken. The true solution lies in understanding that Jesus is our peace. He has removed the wall of hostility. When we receive Jesus, we receive peace. He reconciles us to God the Father and to our fellow human beings. Through Jesus, we are connected and reconciled, gaining access to God and to our once-despised enemies.

It’s All Grace

 

 I was stopped in my car at an intersection when I noticed the light turned green for cross traffic, and a vehicle responded to the green light and started to move. Then suddenly parallel to me, a large pickup pulling a trailer came barreling through the light on red. The cross-traffic car missed being hit broadside by a spit-second. It was one of those moments when you say to yourself, “Where are the cops when you need them?” Suddenly, I saw lights and heard a siren; a trooper had been sitting in the turning lane on the other side. Shortly up the road, I saw the pickup pulled over and the patrolman writing a citation. It will be an expensive one for speeding, running a red light, and perhaps reckless driving. That is how guilt works; it comes out of nowhere and gets our attention. It tells us that we are wrong. The purpose of guilt is to move us in the right direction. Hopefully, that driver stops running red lights.

Joseph’s ten brothers came to Egypt to buy grain during a famine. What were the chances of running into Joseph, the head administrator of all of Egypt’s business? God had designed the meeting. The Hebrew-speaking brothers did not recognize Joseph, but of course, Joseph recognized them. Joseph was at an advantage because he could understand them, but they had no clue who he was. He needed to test them to see if they were the same heartless men who had sold him into slavery. Were they still capable of such sinister acts?

Joseph listened to their words when they talked among themselves: “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.” Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood” (Gen 42:21-22). The brothers were dealing with guilt, but would the guilt lead them to repentance?

Joseph accused his brothers of being spies, and that opened up their history. They told him that they were twelve brothers, one is gone, and one is home with our father. Joseph put them in jail for three days. After that, he put Simeon in prison while releasing the rest to go home to their families. But if they ever wanted to free Simeon and get more food, they would have to bring back their youngest brother, Benjamin. That was the tricky part because they knew their father would refuse to send Benjamin.

When the brothers stopped for the night, they spotted the silver they had paid for the grain. They did not know that Joseph had returned their silver. Here is their reaction: Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?” (Gen 42:28). This is the first time they realize that God is behind what is happening to them.

The brothers were slowly being introduced to grace. Grace is forgiveness that refuses to hold grudges. Grace shows mercy and patience and lifts the little person while guilt pushes them down. How beautiful grace is and how ugly guilt is. Guilt, however, is useful if it leads us to repentance.

Guilt helps us acknowledge our wrongdoing and admit our sin. Then we begin to realize that our sin is against God, and we experience sorrow. All of this leads us to repentance and, ultimately, forgiveness. It’s all grace. When we acknowledge the wrong and own our mistakes, we experience relief. Respite from guilt comes through forgiveness. To live under guilt is no way to live, especially since grace is available for all of us.

One Messed up Family

As I look at Jacob’s family, the third patriarch who fathered the twelve tribes of Israel, I am stunned at how messed up his family was—forced to flee for his life because Jacob had cheated his brother and father. He wound up under the influence of his uncle Laban, even more of a scoundrel than Jacob. His uncle obligated him to serve for seven years for a wife—Rachael, but when the wedding came, he gave him Leah, Rachael’s older sister, who masqueraded as her sister. So much of Jacob’s scheming and deceitfulness came back to him in these years.

Jacob and his two wives, Leah and Rachael, were very adept at scheming themselves. The births of their children and those of their handmaids were opportunities to hurt each other. They celebrated at the expense of the other and to put each other down. This dysfunctional family during these early years was building negative patterns of interaction that would live on in their children.

But what is so amazing is that God used this dysfunctional family to form the twelve tribes of Israel. The family started with Rachael being the most loved wife and Leah, not so much. This produces strife and untold misery. Leah’s hopes for love and with the birth of her first son, Rueben, she thinks, perhaps now her husband will love her. That, however, was not to be. Leah keeps having sons longing for her husband’s love while all the while, barren Rachel felt increasingly diminished by her sister’s successes.

The story of Leah and Rachel, Jacob’s two wives, is one of two desperate women. They both want what the other has. Rachael’s cry is to have children while Leah cries to be loved. Rachel has the love of her husband, while Leah has children. Leah’s pathetic cry is to be loved (Gen 29:32). We were all made to be loved and connected to other human beings. Marriage is that extraordinary place where we can experience love to a higher degree than any other relationship. However, if we are not loved—we will feel pain not equal to any other. In this pathological family, Jacob could not love two women with the same intensity. God did not make him that way. Only in a marriage where a man and woman are fully committed to each other and are willing to learn to love each other will this need be met.

Rachel and Leah have a bitter exchange about mandrake fruit (Gen 30:14-16), which they believe will enhance sexual fertility. The conversation that bargains Jacob for the fruit shows the extent to which this family had sunk. All polygamous and polyamorous relationships arrive at this point sooner or later. Once multiple people have entered into this kind of relationship, it will evolve into the sewer of shame and spite. We were made for fidelity, and the human heart rebels against infidelity no matter what lies they have told themselves. In all my years of counseling couples—I have yet to see one couple that did not intensely desire fidelity—the very kind of faithfulness that God gives us through marriage.

If God can use Jacob’s family as messed up as it was—he can use you with all your flaws. God’s grace is the most amazing thing.

Relentless Grace

Jacob is one Biblical character that can inspire us because he had so many flaws, and yet God used him greatly. The name Jacob means heel-grabber and schemer, and he lived up to his name. He cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright and his blessing. Jacob deceived both his father and his brother in an attempt to help God fulfill his plan for his life. The results of these actions incurred the wrath of his brother, who boasted of killing Jacob. He said he would wait until his father Isaac was dead, and then he would enjoy getting rid of his scheming brother.

Jacob fled from his father and mother to the land of his grandfather Abraham. It was his mother, Rebekah’s idea, to get him away and to get him a wife. Jacob had to make a long and difficult journey while dealing with the guilt and stupidity of his deceitful actions. He was miserable.  Jacob was now profoundly alone. He had no one to talk to, and he was in a dark wasteland full of danger. His loneliness was agonizing. Exhausted and full of despair, Jacob chose a stone pillow and fell asleep.

Jacob drifted off into fitful sleep as he pondered the mess he had made out of his life. He was running away from the people he loved. What would happen to him? As he fell asleep, he dreamed about a ladder that extended from the earth into heaven.  It was a ladder with angels. The angels were moving up and down the ladder, and there at the top of the ladder was God. God was communicating to Jacob that He was directing everything. Even though Jacob was unaware of it, there was heavenly activity in this desolate place on Jacob’s behalf. If we could see what Jacob saw that night, we too would see the sovereign hand of God directing heaven’s angels on our behalf (Gen 28:12-14).

God said to Jacob, “I will be with you, and that means my emissaries will be with you” (Gen 28:15).  I will be with you wherever you go, even on this long journey. I will be there in the land where you are going, and then I will bring you back. What a promise! What a God! What is so amazing about this encounter is that Jacob was not pursuing God. On the contrary, he was fleeing the consequences of his deceptive actions and stupidity. He never deserved an encounter with God, but God found him. It was relentless grace that pursued him in his loneliness. We need God’s grace more than anything in life. The wonderful thing is that God is pursuing us to tell us how much he loves us. John Newton’s hymn Amazing Grace expresses that thought:

Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now am found

T’was blind but now I see

T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear

And grace, my fears relieved

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils and snares

We have already come.

T’was grace that brought us safe thus far And grace will lead us home,

(Parenting with a Long View)  https://boydbrooks.com/