WATCHWORD:
“O Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” Psalms 95:1-3
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Meditation:
Better Than We Deserve?
Recently I was reading something by Randy Alcorn, asking “Are we trying to atone for our own sins?” He went on to say that he believed that too many of us are trying to repeat the atonement, and we can’t. Only Jesus can and He already did. Our job is to accept it, to embrace God’s forgiveness, to relax, rejoice and enjoy His peace.
You know as humans our tendency is to embrace God’s forgiveness and surrender our anxiety and worries to Him, then we turn around and take them all back, putting them back on our shoulders, where it weighs us down.
I think we tend to hoard God’s graces. Oh, we can talk about our blessings, and named them one by one, and maybe we even celebrate them, but I think too often we find it hard to pass them on. I don’t mean to brag about them, I mean to go and do likewise.
Alcorn makes the analogy of lightning and thunder. He says that God’s graces are like lightning in the way they fall around us unexpectedly and without warning. Then thunder follows, echoing out from the grace given. That part is our job. That is the passing on part of Sonship.
If you ask Mac McKinley, a member of our men’s Bible study, how he was doing, he most likely would answer, “If I was any better I would be in Heaven.” I have heard other answers to that question. The one I like is “Better than I deserve.” How true that is. How seriously do we take the charge that we are our brother’s keeper?
We are better than we deserve. In today’s fallen world, it is hard not to get caught up in matters that have such a political bent, when there are so many people out there, hurting and dying. When did we decide that generosity and love were counter to economic development? When did Christ’s words ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive,’” become fighting words?
We tend to ignore Apostle John’s words: But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?
Then there are Paul’s words to us and the Corinthians “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” Seems to me, we have a surplus of “clanging cymbals” and “noisy gongs”.
Yet, grace, love, charity are all key parts of the religions of the world. We seem to get all tangled up when we actually work to show that grace. Reaching across the aisle, or the gap between religions is part of grace. Yet pettiness, politics and zeal present imposing obstructions.
There is a country and western song entitled, “Why Didn’t I Think of That”, which speaks of seeing others doing the right thing, and wondering why I just stood there and did nothing, and learned nothing. Is that us? Why didn’t we speak up? Why didn’t we act? Why did we ignore the wrong we see before us and walk away?
Of course, if the meaning of the words of the Holy Bible, the Torah, and the Quran that speak of peace and grace mean nothing, well, then, what?
What I believe with all my heart is that God is in charge, God loves us and that God’s grace is never-ending. Is it hard to pass on that good stuff?
Prayers:
Heavenly Father, thank you that you are the source of all true joy in life. Your word says that everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. Please help me to receive all the good gifts you give me with thanksgiving and gratitude in my heart. You have loved me and have freed me from my sins by Jesus’ blood. To you be glory and dominion forever and ever. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
