Amazing Grace

Do you like it when you receive a gift that completely bowls you over? A gift that you thought you would never get? One that overwhelms you emotionally, to the point of tears? Those are fun gifts, aren’t they?

We may think of an overwhelming gift such as a brand-new car for Christmas. Perhaps it is an expensive piece of jewelry. Maybe travel to a vacation site you have always wanted to see. Those types of gifts, for most of us, are once in a lifetime gifts.

There is another gift that is once in a lifetime but lasts an entire lifetime and beyond. It is a gift that comes from God that keeps on giving…truly! It is the gift of grace. Grace that overflows each one of us as we need and all of us at once, without ever running short.

Notice what Paul tells the church in Rome in today’s passage. He compares the original trespass, the sin of Adam, to the grace that comes through Jesus. The sin that originated from Adam is limited. It will end one day. There will come a time when there is no more sin.

On the other hand, the grace that comes through Jesus will never end. His grace is unending, lasting forever, into eternity. Not only is it unending, but it is so deep and wide that it can cover every person who ever has or ever will walk the face of this earth. It can cover every sin ever committed or will be committed, no matter how heinous it may be.

For some, that is a little frightening and may even seem to be unfair. To those lost souls who need His grace it is a welcome thought. It is not a get out of jail free card, it is far better. It doesn’t erase the repercussions in this life for bad decisions, but it does erase the eternal punishment for them. Jesus’ grace is bigger than we can imagine.

I pray we all realize God’s grace is far bigger than we can imagine. I pray we see how wonderful His gift is. I pray each one of us experience the overflowing of God’s grace in our lives. Be bowled over by God’s grace. Know that God’s grace is unending. Experience God’s amazing grace.

Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Covered by Grace

What governs you? Have you pondered it? Is your life ruled by bad decisions? Do you allow the promptings to satisfy your immediate want be your guide? Have you become dead to some behavior and alive to others?

There are many different self-help programs available to us. Programs to train our way of thinking. Programs to help us be more efficient. Programs that show us how to look at things differently. We may even decide to see a psychologist.

The Apostle Paul tells the church in Rome that they are no longer ruled by sin. They are to count themselves dead to sin. Does he mean they will never sin? No. He is stating they are to put it behind them. Their sin is covered by grace.

What does Paul mean by sin is not our master? He is stating we do not need to worry about it. That doesn’t mean we don’t ask God to remove it from our lives. It means we ask God to change our hearts and minds, keep us from sinning through an attitude and desire change. But if we sin, we ask for forgiveness, and God’s grace covers it.

When we understand this concept, our anxiety lowers. We have one less thing to worry about. You know, it is something entirely different to desire to change behavior than to continually worry about whether our behavior will end in destruction. We no longer need to worry about whether we are good enough to earn God’s forgiveness. The simple answer is, we are not. The right answer is, He covers us with His grace, so we no longer need to be anxious or fear punishment.

I pray we all count ourselves dead to sin. I pray we know sin is no longer our master. I pray each one of us understand we fall under the grace of God that covers our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. You are dead to sin. You are alive in Christ. Sin is not your master. Grace covers your sin. Ask God to remove your fear and anxiety. Be free under God’s Grace.

Romans 6:11, In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus…For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

Grace for Faith

Do you like gifts? Would you prefer to be given all you need to live on, or do you prefer to work for it? Do you boast about your job, how hard you work so you can buy things? What if you could gain it all by simply saying, “Yes”?

Some of us are workaholics. Some might say I am…and I wouldn’t argue with them. Sometimes we like to brag about the amount of work we do. It’s sort of a status symbol. But some of us like getting gifts as well. Sometimes, I think we all just want to sit and do nothing.

What does all that have to do with God? Well, let’s take a look at today’s passage. God grants us grace with no requirement other than we have faith in Him. Of course, faith is more than mere belief. It is a commitment. It is active. But it doesn’t mean we need to be workaholics.

Faith means we trust God. It means we love God. God doesn’t require physical work from us, even though faith and love in Him will cause us to want to work for Him. Though nothing is free, God’s grace comes as close as anything does.

God wants to shed His grace on us. He desires our faith and love. When we give it to Him, He sheds more grace on us than we can imagine. More than the largest stockpile of whatever mineral we can think of. More than this world can hold.

We don’t always see His grace. Sometimes His grace comes through His work in someone else. Sometimes His grace comes in the form of delays, change of direction, or protecting us from harm. But most of all, His grace comes in the form of forgiveness for our sins.

I pray we all commit to God in faith. I pray we love Him with all our heart. I pray we accept God’s grace for what it is, a gift from God that is bigger than anything we can imagine. Put your faith in God. Love God with your whole heart. Accept God’s grace. Accept His forgiveness.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Throne of Grace

Have you approached the throne? Do you know what is expected when you approach the throne? Are you willing to bend the knee? Are you willing to bow your head? Will you submit to the rule of the King?

We don’t often think of thrones in our country. We haven’t lived under a monarchy in more than two-hundred years. We prefer our right to vote for new leadership every four years rather than having an inherited royalty that rules us.

Yet there is one Ruler who sits on a throne. It is unlike any other throne we have ever seen or heard of. It is more magnificent than any throne on earth. Though it is a throne of power, it is also a throne of grace. Have you ever thought of there being a throne of grace?

God’s throne is a throne of grace. He is willing to shed His grace on us. What must we do for Him to do so? We must ask. Sounds simple…but far from it. Our first step is to recognize we need His grace. Far too often, our pride gets in the way. We don’t think we need anyone else’s help. We think we have it all together. We won’t think of bending our knee in submission to Him.

We may be fearful of approaching His throne. But notice today’s passage. We can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence. We can go to Him in our time of need. We can ask for His help and be confident He will provide it, even if not in the way we think.

I pray we all approach the throne of God. I pray we do so with confidence. I pray each one of us will bend the knee before God and humbly ask for His grace and mercy. Approach the throne. Bend the knee. Submit to God. Ask for His mercy. Ask for His grace. Accept God’s grace.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Limitless Grace

What are your thoughts on grace? How do you view it? Is your view of grace limited to a subset of people? Does your view include some type of requirement to earn it? What if I told you, it cannot be earned, no matter what you do?

It is easy to believe grace must be earned, especially in our culture. We earn vacation days in our jobs. We earn the trust of others. We earn grades in school. We talk of earning the goodwill of others. We are told there is no such thing as a free lunch.

That attitude did us well to build a country during the industrial age that became a world power. It still does us well in the workplace. Our hard work and determination are noticed by our supervisors and will earn us a promotion, even if not as quickly as we might like. But it is not how God’s grace works.

We have examples, glimpses of grace in our culture. An electric company may allow you to be up to five days late on your bill without penalty. That is a grace period. A parent may not get upset when a child knocks over a vase and breaks it. That is grace. A manager may overlook an employee being late a couple times. That is grace. But in all these cases, grace only extends so far.

Again, God’s grace is not limited in the same way our human grace is. God’s grace is offered to all people. Yes, all people. That includes the vilest person you can imagine. It includes the person who has betrayed, is corrupt, filled with anger and hatred, and does the most disgusting thing imaginable. It includes you. It includes me. It includes all people.

I pray we all understand God’s grace is offered to all. I pray we stop putting limits on God’s grace. I pray each one of us see God’s grace as all encompassing, far exceeding our human grace. Understand God’s grace. Know His grace is for all. Do not limit God’s grace. His grace is for you. God’s grace is limitless.

Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.

Soft Heart Required

What are your thoughts on forgiveness? Do you seek forgiveness? Do you ask God to forgive you regularly? Do you ask others to forgive you when you have offended them? Are you willing to forgive others when they offend you?

We talk about forgiveness quite often. Perhaps it is because we need a constant reminder. We need to be reminded that we are forgiven by God when we ask. We need to be reminded that we are to forgive, just as God forgives us.

Wait! Are we forgiven by God? As it turns out, the answer is, “it depends.” Depends on what? It depends on whether we forgive. Jesus tells us in straight forward language that if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. It is a hard truth. It is a truth we do not like to talk about.

Any ideas why God would do such a thing? Allow me to make a suggestion. A heart that is not willing to forgive is a heart that is not capable of receiving forgiveness. Sound odd? Think about it for a bit. If our hearts are so hardened by Satan and the corruptness of this world that we cannot forgive, how can our hard hearts truly receive forgiveness? A hard heart holds on to all the bad, including our own. We don’t forgive others and we don’t forgive ourselves.

The indicator of whether we will be forgiven or not is whether or not we forgive. It’s all about our heart. It has nothing to do with whether God is willing forgive. He is willing and capable. Our choice is to continue to be swayed by Satan and the harshness of our culture or we can become like Jesus and be willing to forgive. God sits waiting patiently for our decision.

I pray we all give up our hardened heart. I pray we stop being fooled by Satan and culture. I pray each one of us will decide to be forgiving—of others and ourselves. Ask God to soften your heart. Be willing to forgive. Forgive others. Forgive yourself. Accept God’s forgiveness.

Matthew 6:15 “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Be Like Jesus

Have you noticed how awful our cultural behavior has become? Have you seen people become angry at the drop of a hat? Do you hear them slandering one another? Have you become just like all those people you abhor?

It is easy to sit back and pick apart the behavior of someone else. We are very good at seeing every fault. We say, ‘they should do this’ or ‘they should do that’. Our view of the world is tainted by our own faults and failures.

The Apostle Paul tells us to get rid of that type of behavior. He lists bitterness first. We must start on the inside. Resentment of others, what they have, who they have, what they do needs to be removed from our hearts. From there, he says to remove anger, which causes us to rage. Yes, anger needs to be thrown out. We can argue all we want about Jesus having righteous anger, but I dare say few of us ever have righteous anger. Our anger comes from feeling jilted, wronged, or from jealousy. Toss it out of your heart. Once we have fixed our heart, the rest of it comes naturally.

How do we fix it? Paul says to replace the bad with the good. We are to be kind. We have heard the saying, ‘kill them with kindness’. There is wisdom in that saying. Kindness doesn’t come naturally at first. We must work at it. We must be intentional. We may need to force ourselves to be kind when we first start out. He goes on to say we are to be compassionate. Care for one another. This isn’t a ‘one and done’ caring. It is continual. It is a way of life. Paul continues by reminding us to forgive one another. We all slip up. We all need forgiveness. We are all to forgive. How? In the same way Jesus has forgiven us.

How can we make this change? Simply put, we can’t. We must ask God to fill us with His Spirit and make the change for us. Being kind, compassionate, and forgiving are not always a sign that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. But the opposite is true. Being filled with bitterness, rage, anger, and bad behavior is a sign we are not filled with the Holy Spirit, because He does not cause that type of behavior.

I pray we all ask God to fill us with His Spirit. I pray we relinquish our old ways for God’s ways. I pray each one of us ask God to make the change in our hearts and minds. Ask God to change you. Ask God to fill you with His Spirit. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be forgiving. Speak well of one another. Be like Jesus.

Ephesians 4:31-32 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Make Jesus Top Priority

Have you heard a rich person cannot be a follower of Jesus? Or have you heard it is hard for a rich person to follow Him? Is it a reason for you to dislike rich people? Have you known someone who is rich and is a disciple?

Yesterday, we saw that Jesus said it was hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yet Jesus did not say it was impossible. It is a matter of attitude in the person. Many rich people worship money rather than Jesus.

Today, we see there was at least one rich man who was a disciple of Jesus. Joseph, though we are not told much about him, had evidently been a follower of Jesus for some time. He was known by Matthew. He likely had heard Jesus speak on several occasions. He believed Jesus was the Messiah.

I’m sure Joseph was as confused as the apostles when Jesus died. He may have even wondered if he had mistakenly put his trust in Jesus on the day of the crucifixion. At a minimum, he held Jesus in high enough esteem to give him a proper burial, using his own tomb, one he had recently carved out of the rock.

Joseph, though rich, had made following Jesus a priority. He was willing to pay for a new tomb to be carved out for himself so he could bury Jesus in the tomb he had recently carved out. We might jadedly think Joseph could afford it. Yes, he could. But he also put Jesus higher on his priority list than his money. Even those of us who are not rich can learn this lesson from Joseph.

I pray we all make Jesus our top priority. I pray we are willing to sacrifice of ourselves for Him. I pray each one of us will set aside our money and time to be followers of Jesus. Make Jesus your priority. Be willing to sacrifice for Him. Designate a portion of your money for Him. Set aside time to spend with Him.

Matthew 27:57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.

Riches of Heaven

Do you long to be rich? Are you playing the lottery every week with the hope of winning? Are you saving every dollar you can? Do you invest your money wisely? Would you trade all your riches here on earth for the riches of heaven?

Our culture is obsessed with money and public image. We seek to portray an image of wealth, whether we are wealthy or not. We purchase status symbols when buying clothing, accessories, jewelry, and vehicles—even if we cannot afford them.

There is nothing inherently wrong with money. We need money to purchase necessities. There is nothing wrong with saving for retirement or emergencies. In fact, being prudent and wise with our money is being a good steward with God’s blessings.

However, Jesus tells us it is difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. The real issue is not the money itself; it is the person’s attitude. Too often, the rich person has allowed money to become an idol for them. If we worship money, we cannot worship God. If we serve money, we cannot serve God. If we are not worshiping God, we won’t enter the kingdom of heaven.

It is easy to say we worship God and not money. It is harder to put it into practice. We can go to church every time it is open and still be worshiping money rather than God. It is our attitude that must change. We must put our trust in God rather than money.

I pray we all worship God over money. I pray we make God our number one priority. I pray each one of us ask God to help us with making Him our priority above wealth. Put God first. Worship God rather than wealth. Seek God’s kingdom. Keep your focus on eternity.

Matthew 19:23-24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

Eternal Treasure

Are your treasures stored in a place that cannot be robbed? Have you successfully deposited your treasure in a place that will never decay? Is your treasure imperishable? Are you curious where you can deposit to keep your treasures safe?

We deposit money into a bank for safekeeping. We may invest money in the stock market in the hopes of it growing. We may invest our time and money into a business with the expectation of making more money.

We are cautioned about putting our trust in the wealth of this world. Whether we want to admit it or not, everything in this world will decay, crumble, and ultimately be destroyed. It will all fade away, even buildings made of stone.

I’m reminded the Jews thought the temple in Jerusalem would never be destroyed. Jesus told them it would fall. Roughly thirty-five years after Jesus was crucified the Romans destroyed nearly all of Jerusalem, including the temple.

We don’t know the future, with one exception. We know Jesus will return, this earth will be destroyed, a new heaven and new earth will come, and those of us who have put our treasure in heaven will live with God for eternity. The treasure we have stored in heaven will never be destroyed; it will never be stolen.

I pray we all put our treasure in heaven. I pray we invest in our relationships with God. I pray each one of us looks forward to spending eternity with God and reaping the benefits of our investments. Give to the poor. Invest in heavenly treasure. Trust God. Put your treasure where it cannot be destroyed nor stolen.

Luke 12:33 “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”