GRACE…
It changes everything.
“One Way Love” by Tullian Tchividjian has fuelled the thoughts that follow.
I don’t think I will ever tire of learning to live in His inexhaustible Grace. In fact, I think there’s so many elements to grace that even if I tried, I don’t think I will ever fully comprehend it’s vastness – to everyone!
Grace is amazing – when it’s extended to us.
Grace is offensive – when it’s extended to the people we have a hard time with.
Grace is hard to get our heads round.
It’s hard to get our heads round, because the God view and idea of grace rarely plays out in real relationships. His idea is simple – show me your worst (whilst you were still sinners) and I will advance towards you (Christ died – offered all of himself to re-establish connection to the world).
Typically our experience outside of this type of grace is – show me your worst, I’ll try my best to love you in the mess, but when you hurt me and it gets personal, I’m outta here. As much as we want to understand and extend grace – heavens grace – our struggle will always be fully giving it without condition. Even if the condition is to bring a good change – it’s still a condition. It still has strings attached – I love you, but want you to ….. and the list can be endless.
The grace we often offer comes with conditions. It comes with an agenda. It comes with manipulative intentions.
Deep down – we struggle to believe that God’s love is extended to us because he is love and not because we are lovely. The sorriest among us can’t quite believe His love covers “everything” we have done. It’s too good to be true, that everything is covered in this exchange. The self-righteous amoung us (of which I can totally affilaiate with), can’t quite believe there is “nothing” we need to do to get this love. NOTHING.
In our state of “cant quite believing” – we can find ourselves accepting grace – but still working at behaving “right”. Grace with works – a total torture.
I am reminded today – a Sunday – a day of rest – that His grace is His grace, extended to mankind because He is full of grace not because of us, full of ourselves. Our right standing before God, is found in Christ and Christ alone before we do anything right.
I am reminded that Christ in me, full of grace – can offer such grace to the people around me.
To love the way He loves.
To love without conditon.
To love without prejudice.
To love beyond the expectations I place on people.
And thank God, there is grace in the learning.
You are loved – therefore go love.
