An EXTREME act of love

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. (Romans 3:23-24)

All really doesn't mean there are any exclusions - it means ALL have sinned, no one is exempt. That may be hard for some to palette, but it is an inescapable fact. God set a standard - we fall short of it each and every time we attempt to even approach it, so we needed his Son to do it for us. Grace has been and is still being extended to all who would trust him for this great gift of redemption. Redemption is a big word that really means we are made right with a holy God by trusting in the finished work of Jesus. He bridged the gap between our imperfection and God's perfect holiness. We are able to come boldly into his presence now because we have received his grace. The standard was met in Christ - we just need to meet Christ in order to receive grace! It might be hard to believe but this unmerited favor we receive from God is a manifestation of his love toward the unworthiness in each of us. He doesn't 'discount' us because of our unworthiness but rather makes a way for us to be part of his glorious family.

Too many times, we 'discount' our need for a Savior. We justify ourselves by saying we 'aren't all that bad', that we 'do good things', and we aren't 'all that unkind' to others. The truth is that ALL have fallen short - the target may be hit some of the time, but we aren't hitting the bullseye! We need grace in order to do that. The enemy of our soul is Satan, and he has done all he can from the very beginning of time to convince us that 'not all that bad' is really okay. The fact of the matter is that it is ALL or nothing with God. We are ALL the way a sinner, or we are ALL the way a redeemed (made holy through Christ) child in his family. The Greek word for 'redeemed' is 'apoluo' - meaning to experience a release effected by the payment of a ransom. It means to be set free - because sin has held us bound for way too long! The payment was Christ's life, death, burial and resurrection. The EXTREME act of love that would go to that extent in order to bring us freedom from our sinfulness shouldn't ever be taken for granted.

Here is the crux of it - we ALL have a sin nature. We ALL have absolutely no way of approaching the holiness of God on our own. Sin cannot abide with holiness. We ALL need a Savior. We ALL need to experience the EXTREME love of God and the only way to do that is through Christ Jesus. Just sayin!

One path

I am the path, the truth, and the energy of life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you know Me, you know the Father. Rest assured now; you know Him and have seen Him. (John 14:6-7)

Pathways don't just 'become pathways' out of the blue. The first set of footprints across that path leaves small impressions where your foot came to rest with each step. The more the same steps are followed - either by your own movement or that of others - the more a "path" begins to be worn. The original footprints are still there, but they are underneath all the others which have passed over the same spot. This a path - the route which has become the place of movement and passage. I want us to begin to think of what Christ did on our behalf as he took the first steps into an eternity of grace on our behalf. Eternity's "grace" path began with one set of footprints, and down through the ages, by others following in those footprints, eternity's "grace" pathway has been followed over and over again.

Lots of us choose to follow no other set of footprints, no matter how well the path has been marked out through the ages, wanting instead to blaze a trail ourselves. The excitement of being the first to go where others have not gone is something that excites us and energizes us in ways which are kind of hard for us to understand. It is this tendency to want to do things our way - being the one who leads the path of our own destiny - which will end in us missing out on the pathway of grace. It could not be clearer - Jesus is the path - he is the one who walked that "grace" path - establishing not only the pathway we are to follow, but the means by which we can actually take those steps. All other paths we could travel in our own deliberate "trail-blazing" activities in life are simply not going to take us to the same destination. There is but one pathway to the destination of an eternity of grace.

A pathway is actually a very narrow walkway. It isn't blazed with a bulldozer, but with one set of footprints. In the case of eternity, Christ's footprints lead right into the throne room of God himself. Jesus said there are three things we need to recognize about this path 1) There is but one path. He is that path. No other means exists to ensure eternity is lived out in grace. There is but one trail which leads to an eternity of grace and that is the path created by Christ alone. 2) Those who travel this path don't live by speculation or guess about which turn to take - for the path is one which is true and the markers along the path are all found in the truth of his words. Truth keeps us from having to speculate about how to live, or which way to follow when decisions present themselves. Christ is the truth - he marks the trail with clarity and light. 3) The path isn't followed in our own strength, but by the energy of life which emanates from Christ himself. 

We can be the ones to blaze the trail to somewhere in our lives, but trust me on this, that path will not be the one to an eternity of grace. Grace has but one path, narrow, but already navigated. We simply place one foot in front of the other, stepping INTO what Christ has already done on our behalf, then walk on into the place prepared for each of us in the very presence of the eternal God himself. One path - one truth - one energizing force. The way could not be clearer. Just sayin!

What does your book say?

I think God fully understands how we interpret the trials and long periods of seemingly receiving no answer from him - those times when we just want to pull our hair out, scream little, stomp our feet, and generally tell the world that God isn't listening or that he doesn't care about us at this very moment! We all have those times - admit it.  We chafed against the agony of the waiting, expected a different outcome and was disappointed by the present one, and whined when things just didn't go as we expected.  All the while, we have one thing we do with some consistency - complain.  Even the most consistent Christian has moments when the agony just gets to us and we find ourselves complaining a little, or perhaps a little too much!  The most amazing part of this is that God doesn't turn his back on us, even when we are heavily engaged in the complaint process.

Job answered:  I’m speechless, in awe—words fail me.  I should never have opened my mouth!  I’ve talked too much, way too much.  I’m ready to shut up and listen.”  (Job 40:3-5 MSG)

Job was declared to be a righteous man - one whose life lined up with the Word of God and whose testimony was nothing but exemplary.  Yet, in the midst of trials too innumerable to recount right now, he finds himself at the end of his rope.  Even those who come to provide some form of counsel or comfort in his life have the misconception that the evil which has become him must be as a result of some injustice on his part, or sin he has not confessed. Family has been lost, the flocks and herds have been devastated, crops have failed, storehouses are empty, and even his body is consumed with some form of disease.  How on earth can he live after so much has happened in his life?  How can he "regroup" and make a go of it again?  

Does it surprise you that the Book of Job is 42 chapters in length with the majority of those chapters being dialogue about how Job feels - the emotional upheaval he is experiencing and the surrounding misunderstanding that occurs when emotions are able to get us in a fray?  Two chapters describe his state as a righteous man, with blessings of family, financial well-being, and good standing in his community.  Then we have this "filler" of about 38 chapters of complaint, advice from friends, expressions of grief, and the musings of a man who cannot comprehend fully the tragedy he finds himself within.  Following this excessive account of Job's woeful state, we have 4 chapters which sum up God's reply to Job's musings and the state of heart change which God will bring when Job is ready to hear what he has to say.  I wonder if God were to put all the musings of our heart into a book how many chapters would be related to our complaints and heart agonies?  There might just be more than we realize!

At some point, we all come to the place we are ready to close our mouths and really listen to God.  At that moment, God steps in and sets things straight for us.  It isn't always the best perspective we have been maintaining when we have been in this emotional state of complaint and agonizing - so his word come to set us straight again when we most need his intervention.  There have been times in my own life where I have said words pretty similar to Job's "I am ready to shut up and listen, God" - but those words were preceded by a whole lot of chapters filled with complaint, misunderstanding, agony, and even a little mistrust.  If those chapters were to be read back to me, I probably would be ashamed to find how much my complaint revealed about the selfishness of my heart, and the lack of trust I have in the one who watches over my life.

The most amazing part of this accounting is the freedom Job exercises in communicating with God.  His heart has betrayed his lack of trust in God - his mouth being the vessel which uncovered his betrayal.  In those words of agony recorded for all of history to read, we see the heart of a man who desperately loves God.  It is not the heart of a man turning his back on God, but one seeking to understand God more.  I wonder how much of our own "musings" and "complaints" are merely times when we are coming to know God a little better?  Maybe this is part of how it is we sort out the thoughts and intents of our heart - opening us up to the possibilities of grace and blessing God desires for us.  Job was restored all he lost - even more.  The "in between" is what brought him to the place of readiness to accept what God had in store for him.  Maybe this is what your "in between" place is all about today.  Perhaps God is preparing you for "more" - something you won't be ready for until the musing and agony of your heart is fully expressed.

God doesn't shun those whose heart pours out the agony within - he embraces them.  He doesn't turn his back on their difficulties - he uses them to uncover the blessings he has in store on the other side of those difficult days.  He opens us up to possibilities - not through field after field of wildflowers and green meadows, but through deserts and prickly fields.  When we feel the heat and feel the pricks of the desert thorns, maybe we cry out a little louder than we ought, or more in a form of complaint than praise.  God isn't surprised by our cries - he knows our heart!  Just sayin!

Principle 27: Don't stay down long

God keeps a special eye on his people - not letting them stay down too long if they trip up or stumble.  This should give most of us (if not all of us) a whole lot of encouragement each time we find ourselves with skinned knees and a wounded bit of pride!  Sometimes, we find ourselves "tripped up" because of things of our own doing - like willful disobedience, compromise, and outright wrong choices.  At other times, we find there has been someone in our path who purposefully sticks their foot out in hopes we will stumble and fall. Now, that may seem a bit harsh to state, but I think there are those who relish the idea of creating a little bit of havoc in the lives of others.  A word of warning to these folks - God won't let us stay down long - his hand is already outstretched even before the foot crosses our path to trip us up!

Don’t interfere with good people’s lives; don’t try to get the best of them. No matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don’t stay down long; soon they’re up on their feet, while the wicked end up flat on their faces. (Proverbs 24:15-16 MSG)

The word of warning today is to those who think they can get in the way of a child of God, pull them down, or act as a roadblock for their progress.  The advice to these folks - don't try it!  Why?  We may stumble a little, but we don't stay down for long!  When we get up, it is quite possible our "rebound" may may make the one doing the "tripping" look a little foolish!  God's care is over his kids and scripture clearly warns not to mess with God's possessions!

Now, before we go further, let me just give us each a little bit of a pep talk today.  We ALL fall down on occasion.  At those times, we want most to blame another for our fall, but this may not always be "fair".  Sometimes we just find ourselves "down" because we have allowed enough "drift" in our focus to get to this place all on our own.  If we are there today, we merely need to look up, for God's hand is extended to all who recognize this is not the place they desire to dwell!

When we find ourselves blocked by another, or thrown a few "sucker-punches" that land a pretty good wallop in our lives, this is when we need to remember God intervenes on our behalf.  Sometimes he stops the punches before they land, but at other times, he might just have a lesson in the one that manages to connect.  This may not seem like a very loving gesture on his part, but God doesn't violate our will.  If we remove our focus long enough from his face, considering other things instead of him, we sometimes find we are right in the path of the "punches" which take us down!

This is never God's intention for our lives, but know this - he stands at the ready to pick us up, dust us off, and set us on our feet again.  As scripture promises, the righteous may fall on occasion, but we don't stay down long. His grace awaits us.  This should cause us each to shout a loud "hallelujah" because there is very little in this life we can actually "count on" in an earthly sense.  Things or people we trust in may not always be there for us, but God's grace will be!  

How long we determine to "stay down" is often a matter of our own will.  We must look up in order to see a way "up".  We must reach out in order to take an outstretched hand.  We must exert enough will to rise again if we are ever to stand again!  The truth is, when we fall, how we "handle" the fall in our minds and emotions plays an important part in determining how quickly we will rise again.  If we are down on ourselves, bemoaning our choices and generally having a pity party because we have fallen, chances are we will stay there a whole lot longer than God wants us to!  When we admit we have been tripped up and fallen, without getting all caught up in how "wrong" we were, God is free to begin to point out how to avoid the fall the next time.  Trust me, there will be a next time, for there is nothing new under the sun.  Today's tripping hazards may not be exactly the same as yesterday's, but they eventually can be seen to have a pretty common cord!  Just sayin!

Special Ops God!

^1-5 I, Paul, and my companions in faith here, send greetings to the Galatian churches. My authority for writing to you does not come from any popular vote of the people, nor does it come through the appointment of some human higher-up. It comes directly from Jesus the Messiah and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. I'm God-commissioned. So I greet you with the great words, grace and peace! We know the meaning of those words because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil world we're in by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. God's plan is that we all experience that rescue. Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!

(Galations 1:1-5 The Message)

We begin a new series this morning in the book of Galations.  The author is Paul, a disciple of Christ, born out of the ranks of the Jews - - a former persecutor of the believers in Jesus.  He begins with his credentials.  Whenever we are establishing new "relationship" with people, isn't this similar to what we do?  We discuss what we do for a living, if we are married or single, how many kids we have, where we went to school, etc.  Each of these "facts" somehow give us some "credibility" in the group we are associating with. 

Paul begins with his appointment - - his authority to be writing this message.  In some respects, I guess this is important to get out there right up front so there are no questions about why he should be trusted to direct the actions of the church.  He is not "people-appointed" - - there was no board of elders "voting" him into his role as apostle.  He was God-sent - - therefore, his message would be God-approved.

Two words will play an important part in our study of this book:  Grace and Peace.  Grace because it describes the process by which we are brought into the Kingdom of God and the very thing that holds us in that position.  Peace because it becomes the outflow of our position in Christ.  Paul will deal with tough topics in this book - - things like how a Christian can live an imperfect life and still experience the grace and peace of God!  He sets the stage for us to understand God's love expressed through his immense grace.

Paul begins with Christ's rescue - - freeing us from our confinement to live sinful lives, bound by the very thing we so desperately desire to be free of.  He accomplished our rescue by the Cross.  Offered as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  This is a tough thing to grasp if you have no knowledge of the Old Testament Law of Moses.  The Law was a system of rules and regulations God established with Israel in order to point them to the plan of redemption in Christ.  The Law contained multiple "sacrificial" offerings - - everything from the choicest grain of your harvest to the pure and spotless lamb offered as an atonement sacrifice.  Each carried a meaning unique in describing provision and grace.  Each pointed to Christ - - to the hope of deliverance.

Rescue is often a misunderstood process.  The term means to bring into liberty.  It is the setting free of our mind, will and emotions from all which seeks to control, or interfere, with our living according to the will of God.  It involves removing us from the obligation to continually "pay for" our sins - - because Christ's sacrifice was once and for all - - setting us right with God regardless of our sin.  It is both the power and the authority to bring change beyond our capability.  

Think about it.  Does a prisoner of war play any part in his rescue?  No!  It is the work of the Special Ops personnel sent on the mission to free the one who has been bound.  Those Special Ops troops plan, prepare, and then execute the plan.  In turn, the one bound is set free.  Think of Christ as the ultimate Special Ops soldier!  He and his Father planned, prepared, and he executed the plan perfectly.  Nothing we do adds to the plan!  His rescue is perfect because the plan was perfect!

God's plan:  For us all to experience this rescue!  Paul could not say it any better!  If you are struggling to be rescued - - it is time to step back and allow the one who has the plan for your rescue to step in.  If you have been rescued, but still struggle with the feelings of bondage, it is your divine rescuer who wants to help you enjoy total and complete liberty in him.  Hope you will follow along with me as we dig deep into this letter to the Galation church.  May we all come to appreciate the complete rescue of Christ!