Yesterday, as I was reading yet another article about Ted Haggard, the former pastor of a large church in Colorado who resigned after sins involving drug use and sexual misconduct in his life become public, I found myself thinking, - "Why didn't he shape up? What's wrong with him?" God forgive me! What gracelessness! In fact, I fail, too. However, because they are 'my' failures, in my mind they are excusable, even reasonable under the circumstances. For example, if I am short-tempered or unloving, I let myself off the hook because "I am tired due to my full schedule."
So, as I was mentally railing on Ted Haggard, I heard the Spirit's challenge as He asked me: "Why are you so unwilling and/or unable to give others the same grace that you give to yourself?" What I desire is that God will continue to work on transformation of my heart and mind that causes me to love, to encourage, to comfort, and even when there is reason to correct another person, to be able to do it with such grace, that even words of rebuke are heard as a gift. I am challenged today by this passage from the Word. It is lengthy and probably familiar, but I urge you to read it attentively.
"We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. . . .
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds. It is based on our faith." (Romans 3:22-27, NLT)
Does that mean we are free to live as we want to live, that our daily actions are unimportant in terms of our relationship with God?
Some might reach that conclusion, but they would be wrong. We are set right with God by faith in Christ Jesus, but that faith is not a ethereal thing, disconnected from 'real' life! Here's the glory of grace-based Christianity. When we take the focus off of ourselves and put it rightly on God's gracious work, we gain the ability to say, 'no' to ungodliness and 'yes' to the Spirit. What all of our self-discipline, peer pressure from other Believers, and moral codes can never accomplish - making us truly good and completely acceptable to God- begins to take place from the inside out!
When I am focused on me- determined to be good, to say the right things, to make a good impression - all supposedly 'for the glory of God,' I get stressed and graceless, losing the joy of the Lord. When I face up to my religiosity, I have to admit that concern for reputation and respect, which are all about Jerry, have crept up on me; again! There is only one thing to do in that moment - get on my face before the Lord and 'give up.' "I did it again, Lord. I became proud, I compared myself to someone else. I started to believe You are blessed to have me on your team!" That confession, coupled with thankfulness for Jesus Christ, the great grace gift, whose death and resurrection brings me the promise of life and godliness, restores my joy, and - that moment of grace renewal - temptation loses much of its power over me.
Pastor Ted, I am not better than you are! We are both sinners in need of the grace of Christ. I pray he understands that today, more than intellectually.
I pray that I will continue to hang onto to Jesus's grace, kept from disgrace and from dishonoring His Holy Name - by grace and grace alone.
_____________
Father, Your love for me is astounding.
Your favor extended to me makes me both glad and uncomfortable.
I want to do something to pay you back, but I know that I never could,
and even to attempt to do so, insults You!
Defeat my sinful tendency to perfectionism and religiosity, which leads to judgment.
Stir up a love for You in me that spills over to others, that takes no thought of their deservedness.
Thank you, Jesus, for the Manger, which speaks to me so powerfully that you became Flesh, God with us;
for the Cross that shows me Your love and sacrifice, and
the Empty Tomb, which assures me that the work done for sinners is complete!
Spirit of God, guide me into all Truth today.
Keep me centered on You.
Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.... yes, for the glory of God alone. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment