Embrace the Grace.

To start, here are just a few quotes on grace from Philip Yancy's 'What's So Amazing About Grace?'

"All the natural movements of the soul are controlled by laws analogous to those of physical gravity. Grace is the only exception.' Most of us remain trapped in the gravitational field of self-love, and thus we "fill up all the fissures through which grace might pass."

"I escape the force of spiritual "gravity" when I begin to see myself as a sinner who cannot please God by any method of self improvement or self enlargement. Only then can I turn to God for outside help- for grace- and to my amazement I learn that a holy God already loves me despite my defects. I escape the force of gravity again when I recognize my neighbors also as sinners, loved by God. A grace-full Christian is one who looks at the world through "grace-tinted lenses."

"We creatures, we jolly beggars, give glory to God by our dependence. Our wounds, our defects are the very fissures through which grace might pass. It is our human destiny on earth to be imperfect, weak, and mortal, and only by accepting that destiny can we escape the force of gravity and receive grace. Only then can we grow close to God."

I don't know about you, but I'm praying for some "grace-tinted lenses" for my next birthday. Jesus is so many things.. and as Steve preached on Sunday at the Clearing, as much as He shows up and shows us who He is in so many ways in our lives, we still don't fully grasp Who HE Is. I do know this much. To me, above all things, Jesus is Grace. The grace that saved us from our sins, AND the grace that allows us to know Him while on earth so that we may be restored, redeemed, transformed to live abundantly and to serve generously before we return home. And while we are thirsty and hungry.. and let's face it, desperate for grace for ourselves.. how often and easily do we show that to others? How often do we even just simply pray for the strength to show more grace to others? We know how good it feels.. we know how it restores and heals.. we know what that does for us.. we know it's JESUS.. and yet, we are hoarders when it comes to doling out grace to others. As if there is a limited supply or something. Thankfully for us, there isn't.

Perhaps because giving grace isn't always comfortable.. not like it is to receive it. Someone wants to show us grace?! Yes, we'll take it, thank you! Someone needs to be shown grace... and we have to stop and think a minute. Hmm... (insert sin here) seems a little uglier than this (insert sin here)... I don't know, let me just be (insert emotion here) awhile.. maybe really ponder whether I can get to a place of grace on THAT one. Imagine if our eternal grace depended on us. I know when I sin and I look to my Father.. I'm already forgiven. With Jesus as my Savior, 'it is finished.' Imagine a world where people granted grace like that to each other. Knowing how wretched we are.. that when someone needs grace, it is a given that we show them that first. If Jesus is above all things GRACE, then they see Jesus first. They see Jesus first in their most vulnerable moments. Imagine the impact. Now, I know we aren't perfect.. (hence, the grace creation) but by Jesus dwelling in us and by His power.. maybe we could learn to have grace be more readily available for our neighbors. Just each day, praying and asking the Lord,"Would you keep a few spare grace cards in my pocket for easy access today?"


Aha moment about Grace: My friend Amy said to me once, " Give the dude some grace! grace isn't excusing away bad behavior, it's just recognizing and respecting that first and foremost God is working there."