Grace Amazing

So God laid this on my heart this morning: what is the true meaning of amazing Grace?  It's how a person manifests their favor on, or pardons, someone else.  But that's just normal grace.  That can be granted from anyone at anytime.  It's an earthly grace.  Now, granted, I know grace is appreciated (in most cases) by whoever receives it.  But it still falls short of Heaven.  An earthly grace is granted by humans, who, by the fall, are laced throughout with a sinful nature.  And humans, made in God's image, can possess the mercy to grant grace because God the Father does.  But it's still human - it's not holy.  Can you even begin to imagine - REALLY imagine - what a holy Grace would feel like?  Some have felt it before.  "We have done so not according to wordly wisdom but according to God's grace." (2 Cor. 1:12)

There's only one place to get grace like that: from a Holy God.  A holy Grace is what you get when an invalid is made whole, when the very thing that caused your fears is taken away, it's what leads you when you need a way to get where you're going and then home again.  I know that, several times in the past, I've been so caught up in myself that I didn't know up from down, black from white.  I get lost in my despair and everything is dark.  That's when, without any options or knowing which direction to turn, that same holy Grace has stepped in and brought me safe thus far, and has my fears relieved, and has led me home so that now I see.  "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.  No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." (1 Cor. 15:10)

I also realized how easy it is to take Grace for granted.  When we're raised in a Christian home and brought up knowing what to believe and what to say and how to act, it gets easy to fall into a routine of just following through with those things when we're supposed to, and all that "stuff" just becomes commonplace.  We forget what Grace feels like.  There is a grave danger in that.  When we forget Grace, we fall away from Grace.

But here's the paradox - it's because of Grace that Jesus brought us back from a fall from Grace.  "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." (Eph. 4:7)  No matter what we've done or how black our sinful natures are, God grants us the Grace to return to Him.  As finite humans, we tend to rebel and do what we want to do.  And it's when we come back to the throne, and we offer ourselves and our sins to Him that we find Grace again.  Some call it the song of the redeemed.  Some choose the title "Amazing Grace."  Either way, it is amazing and it wants us.  You have a place in Grace.

"For it is by grace you have been saved..." (Eph 2:8)

Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
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
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

 The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

 Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

- John Newton (1725-1807)

Heart of a Servant

"...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28)

I was going to type out this whole long soapbox - correction: I HAD typed out this whole long soapbox on having the heart of a servant.  However, I have since decided to let the Holy Bible speak for itself.  Therefore, I give you the 4 Servant Songs.  They're pretty long (especially the last one), so I understand if you don't feel like sitting through them.  If you don't, though, you're short-changing yourself.  It's nitty-gritty, bare-boned gospel (in the OT), and it's GOOD!  The 4 Servant Songs:


The first Servant Song:
"'Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.  He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.  A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.  In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.  In his law the islands will put their hope.'  This is what God the Lord says - he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 'I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.  I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.'"  (Isa. 42:1-7)

The second Servant Song:
"Listen to me, you islands, hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth he has made mention of my name.  He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver.  He said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.'  But I said, 'I have labored to no purpose; I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing.  Yet what is due me is in the Lord's hand, and my reward is with my God.'  And now the Lord says - he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength - he says: 'It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.  I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.'  This is what the Lord says - the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel - to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: 'Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.'" (Isa. 49:1-6)

The third Servant Song:
"The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.  He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.  The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears, and I have not been rebellious; I have not drawn back.  I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.  Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced.  Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame.  He who vindicates me is near.  Who then will bring charges against me?  Let us face each other!  Who is my accuser?  Let him confront me!  It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.  Who is he that will condemn me?  They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up." (Isa. 50:4-9)

The fourth Servant Song:
"See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.  Just as there were many who were appalled at him - his appearance was so disfigured and his form marred beyond human likeness - so will he sprinkle many nations, and kings will shut their mouths because of him.  For what they were not told, they will see, and what they have not heard, they will understand.  Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?  He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.  He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.  He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.  By oppression and judgment he was taken away.  And who can speak of his descendants?  For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.  He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.  Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.  After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.  Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors.  For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isa. 52:13-53:12)

Now do you see why it's so important for us to die to ourselves and be a servant to someone else?

Man, I could preach a whole sermon on this.....

Love Them.

Ok, so I know I haven't done this in a while, but I'm gonna try another soapbox. I'm gonna start with the bottom line: love them. We are called to love. Have you ever been driving and found yourself yelling at the top of your lungs at another driver who cut you off or just won't drive fast enough? Or found yourself talking about or making fun of someone behind their back? We like to express ourselves in the most effective way possible. Sometimes we express frustration through a visible show of anger. Sometimes we express humor at the expense of someone else's dignity. Please don't misunderstand me - by no means am I claiming that just because we do these things, we do not love someone. We are simply choosing to express these different emotions rather than what we should be portraying - love. However, if we do not show them we love them, what proof is there for them to believe otherwise?

The word "love," or any form of it (loves, loved, etc.), is mentioned in the NIV Bible 697 times; in the KJV 442 times. If something is mentioned that many times in the Bible, shouldn't we pay attention to it? It's as hard for me as it is for anybody, especially in my profession. Both of these examples have been my downfall, and I know I deserve nothing less than hell for it. It's hard for me to die to myself and let Christ express His love for another person through me. I don't want to let go of myself because of what it might mean to my "social image," either at work or my day-to-day life or, even worse, at church. It's sad. It really is sad that I can't live outside of myself and let Elyon take me away.

The beauty of all this is that "we love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Did you get that? HE first loved US. We were brought to life by HIS hand. If it weren't for God's love, we wouldn't even have the ability to love. That being said, it is really our inherent duty as Christians and really as creations to love. Not because, in our sinful nature, we want to. No, in our sinful nature there is nothing but death and hate. No, we are CALLED to love. It is a commandment. "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)

My point is this: it is our obligation to love. That is the internal battle you see inside the little boy at the lunch table. He sees the class outcast sitting at a table by himself and is not sure whether or not to go sit with him. When did it become social taboo to outwardly love someone? We were created out of love. By God's grace, for those who accept Him, we get to die in love. We know that, because He loved us, we have some inate sense of love and how we're supposed to love. But because we're human, we get in the way of ourselves. Our own selfish convenience can sometimes overshadow love.

God sent His only son out of love. Jesus Christ died for me out of love. His is a holy Love, and it is the perfect example of the love we are to express. Because He died for my sake, shouldn't I at least die to myself for the sake of someone else? Wouldn't that be a true witness? By simply being creations of a Holy God, don't they deserve that much?

"If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." (1 Cor. 13:3)

First, Kingdom and righteousness, and then...

Have you ever been blindsided by something so big and blunt and obvious that you don't know how you didn't see it before? And the fact that you're so relieved you now see it completely outweighs the fact that it was so big and blunt and obvious in the first place?

After being buried in Matthew 6 for a week, God has completely changed the way I see my relationship with Him. Sometimes we wander and we wonder for so long that we forget what that relationship feels like and we forget what on earth it is that we're doing. And then suddenly, that void is there again, but you don't notice it getting bigger and bigger because you fill up every minute with stuff. One thing I've learned in the past week is that God has a unique way of blindsiding each of us to bring us back. It can be anything from a relationship here on earth to an obsession to nothing at all.

I'll speak from the point of view of the obsession, because that was my bait. After thinking and plotting and worrying for days on end, God finally stepped on my brain and said to me, "STOP!" That's when the question to end all questions occurred to me - how different would my life be if only I obsessed about my relationship with Yahweh like I obsessed about my obsession? The conviction was evident and the answer was obvious.

THE POINT: It goes straight back to the spiritual warfare. Satan is constantly trying to grapple and paw at us until all we see is what he wants us to see. God puts these incredible and fascinating things in our lives, but then we have a tendency to become enraptured by them. Satan sees that inflamed desire and tries to take advantage of it by feeding it to us until it pushes Jesus Christ out of our lives. That's where Matthew 6:33 comes in. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."

Whatever the reason, once you start to seek his kingdom and his righteousness first, the rest of your life will fall into place like pieces of a puzzle. You begin to either develop or renew a relationship with the Creator. Even if you feel yourself beginning to drift, ask yourself that same question I had to face: how different would my life be if only I obsessed about my relationship with Yahweh like I obsessed about my obsession?

When it comes to Christ, obsession is a two-way street, so get moving.

Where the Passion is

It's time for me to try this whole blog thing again. Spiritual warfare is worse in these days than it has ever been. I know I'm not an expert on the subject; and if I were to go into it alone, I would fall down lifeless. But sometimes you can affect someone's life so much, or allow the Holy Spirit's majesty to shine from your core so much, that Satan himself feels threatened. And I know this is a loaded topic - so much so that people either don't want to think about it, or they're simply not prepared for it. You can do everything right, and you still feel so discouraged, like nothing you've done has been worth it.

Well here's the kicker: the smallest seed is more than worth it. God has promised us that He will never let us get to that point where we just can't handle a burden. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." - 1 Cor. 10:13. Satan knows that. That's why he attacks before people ever get a chance to plant that seed. Then it goes unnoticed, and no one ever thinks about it again. But he doesn't let up. Lucifer keeps piling it on so that we will never again be able to find that seed. That's where encouragement comes in.

God has given us His Word, as well as His church, for guidance and encouragement. Whatever question you have, you can find the answer by reading. We have friends and a faith family to lift us up; to say, "I love you no matter what. Through Jesus Christ you are a good person, and He does good things with you." Everyday we walk through a battle zone, and everyday someone is lost to the battle zone. God puts our friends in the right place at the right time to tell us what we need to hear. They're our "out." Not one who has ever put his faith in Christ Jesus has been lost to the battle zone. You can find solace in knowing that the battle has already been won, and those who trust in Jesus Christ alone are on the winning side. You don't have to worry about it, because the victory's already been claimed.

We are Christians. Therefore it is our birthright that we be persecuted for our faith. So I say bring it on! Because knowing what I know about God's promise to give us an "out," no amount of persecution could ever strike me down. "I will never leave you nor forsake you." - Jos. 1:5.

And that is where the Passion is.

A Simple Prayer

Lord, help me to fill my life with things holy instead of those things that cause me to look away from my need for You - that cause me to look away from You. You are everything in and around me. You saturate the very earth I walk on and You are in every breath I breathe. You are the reason for all the good things in my life, and for all the bad - and for that I thank you. Father, reach down in me and pull out my soul to make it a mirror of Your character. Without You I have nothing, I do nothing, I say nothing, I am nothing. Yahweh, please don't change only my core - also change my thoughts, my mind, my face. Let me know you in a deeper way - a way in which I drown in You, in which You are the only thing I can breathe into my lungs. Majesty, only You can fill my hunger. Engulf me. Saturate me. I love you.

Desperately Your servant