When I first came to faith in Christ I wasn't sure of all that I had signed up for. I remember the Sunday after praying something that included me asking for forgiveness and inviting Christ into my life where people were approaching me with great joy as if I had just won the lottery congratulating me and hoisting me up on their shoulders (okay...maybe that's a stretch). Again, I wasn't sure what I was doing but I knew I was doing something. Correction: God was doing something. I just thought it was me.
It was then I was introduced to this concept of grace. All I ever heard taught from the pastors was that grace was something we didn't deserve. Okay....what does that mean, really? Growing up in a heavily, entitlement-saturated environment such as ours makes it extremely difficult to grasp this concept. I believed that I deserved EVERYTHING I had including things I didn't have. I believed that I deserved:
- to date the girl that I thought was "the one" (even though she had no clue who I was).
- to be drafted by a Major League baseball team (preferably the Dodgers) because of my mad skillz (the 'z' is for emphasis).
- to get into any college I wanted (truth be told, I didn't really want to go to college).
- to have a job (only if I got injured playing MLB and was forced to find work elsewhere) that would pay me an exorbitant amount of cash for doing close to nothing (did I mention I was dumb?).
These were only a few things I believed to which I was entitled. So, when I heard this concept called grace it took me a while to understand it. And when I mean "a while" I mean it's been 14 years and I'm barely scratching the surface. Why? Well, besides being slow, I'm also stubborn. And in addition to being stubborn I'm also easily influenced by my own fractured tendency to lean towards things that destroy me (can I get an "Amen"?). Needless to say the odds have always been against me. But it took so long to realize this because I needed to fully grasp my own depravity (although I'm not sure if I'll ever comprehend this).
Grace defined means, "the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God; the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect."
It wasn't until I recognized my own depraved state was I able to truly appreciate what grace meant, but more importantly, what grace does and how I now can live underneath it. Pastor and author Steve Furtick says, "Grace will never lead you to continue doing the very thing it just rescued you from."
I think that's a pretty cool quotation. Why? Because it's biblical. Sure, we can sin and give into our evil desires (which I still do), but the more I realize the fractured state of my soul, the more I realize my need to be rescued. Which in turn helps me realize my need of salvation, of redemption, of mercy, and forgiveness. Truthfully, the more God shines the light on my brokenness, the more grateful I live. There is no more need to hide because I now realize that God showed His unmerited favor while I had no desire to acknowledge Him. And this simple truth now causes my heart to be filled with joy, with gratefulness, with thanksgiving, with worship, with adoration, and with a desire to carry His name well. Not because he's given me some special ability, or mad skillz, or talent, but based on the realization of my dependence on a God who has chosen me and has called me His own. This truth overwhelms everyday.....as it should.
Number 6:22-26
22The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23"Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, 24The LORD bless you and keep you; 25the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; 26the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
What does grace mean to you?
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