grace

We Hate Helpless

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35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  Matthew 9:35-38

When we persistently approach life from a position of strength it won’t be long till we hate the helpless. Our denial of weakness demands contempt for both ourselves and others who fail. We will gravitate toward the “wisdom” of self-help gurus who support our moral superiority and remove our need for God.

The Gospel of Jesus confronts our view of God, people and ourselves. Simultaneously from God’s point of view, we see the extraordinary worth of people and the devastating incapacitation of their lostness. Jesus recognized the lostness of people and he had compassion for them. He knew they could not help themselves out of their spiritual alienation from God. People require grace.

I fear our response is so different. We really hate the helpless. We don’t want to believe they are helpless or harassed, like sheep without a shepherd. Why? Perhaps because we still have a sneaky faint-hope clause  buried in our mind, holding out for a self-created salvation and validation. If that’s true we deny grace and we refuse to enter fully into the salvation given us by Jesus. And for sure, we will excuse ourselves from the Lord’s harvest field. Our motto will be “Let them save themselves.”

Yet, its true, I cannot save myself or enter fully into relationship with God by my own design. While I may appear to be the captain of “this ship” through life, I lack what is required to enter into life with God. I need a Saviour. I need a Shepherd. I need Jesus. So I am giving thanks today for the One who loves me and gave Himself for me that I may live loved. I’m  thankful He did not hate helpless.

Envy Ruins the Soul but Grace Revives

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21When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,

22I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you.

23Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.

24You guide me with your counsel,and afterward you will receive me to glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:21-26
Envy ruins the soul.

The soul that looks longingly at what others have will soon convince itself of its own self-righteousness and right to take.

When we cast our hearts upon the ease, beauty, riches, and power others have we will never be satisfied. We will miss what we do have. We will miss the wisdom of following God now and we will be in danger of making awful decisions.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 73:2-3

2But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.

3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

In verse 21 he describes what envy has done to his soul. He is embittered, brutish, and ignorant. He lives like a beast toward God.

Yet, there is grace. There is grace for the soul being ruined by envy. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heard and my portion forever.”

Such is the grace of God in Christ Jesus that we can say, “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” (verse 28)

Not Your Own Doing

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8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8

As I ride the bus and listen in to the few conversations among the people-with-no-ear-buds I hear a common theme of achievement: What have you done lately? What have you accomplished? And even, What are you going to do?

Now with the best of them, I love progress, growth, and change. Following Jesus is not the death of ambition. However, the foundation of our relationship with God must not be based on what we have done.

Knowing we are loved and accepted by God comes by grace, it is a gift of God. There is nothing you can do to get God to like you more. Jesus has done it all. Its not your own doing that got you into God’s good graces.

You don’t have to do anything to get God on your side. Rather by faith in Jesus we enter into the sufficiency of His life, death, and resurrection. We can sit secure with Him, because of His work. This can by the end of comparison, boasting, and using people or our achievements in order to be somebody. In Christ Jesus we are deeply loved.

Under Grace

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For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 7:14

 

For me the whole book of Romans turns on this statement. Paul argues that Jesus has radically altered the environment in which we live. No longer are we under the law, but now in Christ we are under grace.

 

To be “under” is to be subject to the authority, rules, manners, and destiny of another. The phrase “a man under authority” (Matthew 8:9) was used by a Roman centurion to describe his character and position, and his understanding of Jesus’ ability to heal without actually coming to his house. Jesus was amazed at his faith.

 

Throughout the letter we call Romans, Paul, is working out what it means to be under law and subject to it and what it means to be under grace and to be subject to Christ Jesus. Our understanding of what we are living under has profound implications on our character and life.

 

What are you living under?

 

In Christ Jesus, I am under grace.

 

I am under the abundant riches of His work at the Cross.

 

I am under the extravagant expression of His love.

 

I am under the power of a new kingdom regime.

 

I am under grace.

 

Our world needs to see

 

a woman under grace;

 

a man under grace;

 

a community under grace.

 

It will be amazing!

 

When sons live like hired men

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17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20And he arose and came to his father.   Luke 15:17-20

Stories of lost and found

I love the stories of lost and found told by Jesus in Luke 15. In the story of lost sons, rebellion meets self-righteousness.

Once he had hit bottom the younger son came to his senses.

But instead of throwing himself on his father’s grace, he only imagined mercy. Mercy is kindness expressed in moments when we don’t get what we deserve (like punishment or shame). After having a mercy moment the younger son imagined working for his father as a hired man.

The sounds of self-righteousness

That’s self-righteousness. It sounds like this: “Ok, I messed up. But hopefully God will be merciful. From now on, I’ll be good… I promise.”

That’s not good enough. In fact its so far away from what God desires of us that Jesus had to come close to and settle once and for all the righteousness problem at the Cross. God desires that we live as His dearly loved children. To live graced. To live knowing that we could never say, “Ok God now you owe me, I’ve been good. The debt is paid. The balance for blessings is now tipped toward me!” What a terrible burden. What a gross way to live!

The sounds of grace

Instead in God’s grace we can say, “O God I was awful. I’m sorry. Help me. Restore me to you! Now I live in your grace and gifts. Once I ignored your love, neglected you, and was too interested in the your stuff rather than in you. You are magnificent and your grace is glorious. Now in your Son, Christ Jesus, my Lord, I live loved!”

When sons live like hired men they miss the party. They expect that God owes them. And when they don’t get what they want from this world and from God, its God’s fault and they are angry, bitter, enraged, jealous, and unable to rejoice in God’s grace toward others and even towards them.

Fortunately the Father intervenes on our self-righteous memes to bestow on us the blessings of being His children.

The Father’s love and grace

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22But the father said to his servants,‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.  Luke 15:10-24