Not just grace, but RADICAL grace

How many of us long for true peace and just don't find it in anything we have experimented with in life? I think we all go through places in life that we hope will bring us some much needed peace - that deep rest for our souls and spirits. When we really stop to look at what gives us true peace, we might be surprised to realize it isn't the 'place', but who is in that place with us. It isn't the events, but the one who walks with us through the events. It isn't even the 'strong faith' we exhibit in the midst of the moment, but the fact that we are given the very faith by which we stand strong in the midst of the battle. When it is our self-made, let's see how much we can 'muster up' kind of peace, it will fade quickly. The moment might feel good, but the long-term effect of that 'mustered up' kind of peace won't last the long haul. It is only the peace that comes through experiencing Christ and all he brings into our lives that will last through thick and thin!

Since we have been acquitted and made right through faith, we are able to experience true and lasting peace with God through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the Liberating King. Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory. And that’s not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love. (Romans 5:1-5)

Acquitted and made right indicates we have not always had a 'good standing' with God. We needed a Savior - regardless of how 'good' we labeled out actions, they still fell short of God's goodness! We often hear people tell us they don't need a Savior because they aren't doing 'bad things' in life - they might adhere to the "I don't chew, or run with those who do" kind of philosophy as 'proof' that they aren't in need of a Savior. Truth be told, none of us can ever 'do' enough good in our lives to make up for the fact that all inherited a sin nature. We all have sin at the core of our being - even if we don't act upon those desires all of the time, we still need Christ's provision of grace to remove that stain of sin that is there! 

The most amazing part of this passage that I find myself going back to time after time is that Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing the very glory of God in our own lives. If we are led into a place of radical grace that suggests we weren't in that place at all before we asked Jesus to be in control of our lives. We cannot be 'led into' if we were already there! It is not just a 'ho-hum' kind of place, either. It is a place of RADICAL GRACE. Radical comes from the word 'root' - so radical grace is 'rooted grace' - there is a firm foundation to that grace that is vital, growing, and constantly being renewed. Most of us would think of radical as something standing out as extremely different from something else. That is exactly what God's grace is - it stands out in our lives and in turn, our lives stand out because of radical grace! Just sayin!

Let's get to the root of the matter

Jesus leads us into a place of radical grace where we are able to celebrate the hope of experiencing God’s glory.  And that’s not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love. (Romans 5:2-5 VOICE)

Radical grace - what a visual image comes to mind when I think of grace this way.  Grace is unmerited - it is undeserved and unearned.  It is a gift, given freely, not under some sense of compulsion.  Radical grace is that which is totally opposite of what the present condition is that exists within someone's life. In other words, when God extends radical grace, he is saying you and I are getting something so totally and completely opposite of what it is we should be getting. My favorite part of this passage is when Paul reminds us that we will learn what it means to hope and anticipate God's goodness.  Receiving radical grace actually puts us smack-dab in the center of what can only be described as God's goodness.  William Shakespeare said, "We know what we are, but know not what we may be."  As God's radical grace pulls us closer to him, we begin to hope in what he sees in us even when we don't see it ourselves.  We begin to think maybe there is something deep within that he values - even when all our actions and attitudes seem to be those which aren't "measuring up" at the moment.

All of life is a process of being refined - moved from one state into another, until what once was a "mixture" of good and bad, holy and dishonorable, beautiful and kind of ugly begin to be separated, allowing that which doesn't reflect who he is to be skimmed away.  We don't find our way into the "refining fire" on our own, nor do we find ourselves enduring it alone.  We have both his presence and the company of others to help us see our way through the process.  Look at where this passage begins - with Jesus leading us right into the place of being refined - made new through the radical grace he gives.  Most of us think of "radical" as something describing the intensity or gravity of an issue or subject. In this case, when Paul describes grace as "radical" he is really telling us that grace isn't just about setting things right at the moment, it is about getting at the root of the issue at hand until the root is changed, allowing the character which is produced to more closely and perfectly resemble Christ!

Peace comes through radical grace - changing the "root" of our trust from deeply rooted in what we can accomplish.  We move from trusting our own ability to overcome or "act right" - we begin to see our actions stem from a changed heart (mind, will and emotions). Hope stems from having experienced something just enough that we want or yearn for a lot more of what it is we have experienced.  Anticipation is based on both the sense of peace we have as a result of this change which has begun within us and the hope that there is more of the same available to us when we turn to the source of grace.  I don't know how many of us actually "celebrate" God's grace in our lives, but even when the root is still young and growing, grace is to be celebrated - reveled in, enjoyed, allowing it to bring pleasure into our lives.  We might not see the full transformation, what we can hope and anticipate what is about to be brought forth because where "radical grace" begins, "radical character" is just around the corner. Character with a "new root" - not the same old us, but the us that only grace can see and love can foster!  Just sayin!

Radical Life Change

Radical - of or going to the root or origin of something.  If you haven't really thought about what "radical change" is, you might be a little surprised to find out it is change which goes after the "root" or "origin" of something in order to so totally change what has become "traditional".  If a business wants to "re-invent" themselves because they have been losing customers to some other big name chain with a newer look, what do they do?  They go through some "radical change" to make us believe this is the store we want to be shopping at instead of the other guy's.  J.C. Penney did just that - they changed up the lines they carried, took out a whole bunch of their stock, remodeled the interiors of the stores to be more "hip", and then they lost business!  Most of us who shopped at Penney's did so for a reason - the consistency of finding the lines we liked, which fit us well, at a reasonable price range.  In over a year, I haven't been able to find anything there I could really use - and it used to be the one place I could find all my career wear! What happened?  They thought they had to "change" their "core" in order to draw business back into their store.  In reality, their "core" was pretty good, they probably just needed to make some subtle changes to attract the crowd of shoppers they were aiming at drawing in, but without sacrificing the loyalty of those who looked to them for their "core" purchases.  Sometimes I think we do the same thing when God asks us to begin to change in a particular area. We think he wants some big "revamp" of everything, so we set about to go through a major "redo", all the while forgetting about the "core values" he has already worked out in our lives.  

You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.  (Romans 2:3-4 MSG)

When God goes after the "root" of our lives, it isn't always to "pluck it up"!  In fact, sometimes he just needs to "stimulate" it a little in order to get it on track with growth as it should be.  We cannot sacrifice the "core values" - in other words, we don't throw the baby out with the bath water!  Sure, God wants us to be affected deeply, changing where change is needed, and developing a keener awareness of what it is he desires of us, but he doesn't want us to neglect or forget the values he has already worked into our lives.  I think this is a common issue for many of us - we see there is a new focus and we forget about the "old" in order to pay attention to the "new".  What happens to the old?  It gets neglected.  What happens when something is neglected?  It begins to no longer be the "practiced" behavior.

Some roots need a little "plucking".  It is like when Penney's might realize a particular line of clothing or household goods is no longer selling.  They might want to either consider "restyling" those clothes to stay in fashion, or just drop the line totally.  Sometimes, a simple "restyle" is all that is needed - because the "basics" are there - they just need a little attention.  At other times, the styles have moved on and it is time to retire the line - like polyester jumpsuits!  The basic black dress or skirt will never go out of style, but they may "restyle" it with a different hem line, or perhaps a new cut to the neckline in order to keep it "new".  One gets at the root in order to eliminate the line, while the other simply allows the root to be stimulated to produce a new line.  

Lest we think God is interested in "restyling" our lives, let me explain.  God wants radical life change - plain and simple.  As he makes change in our lives, he doesn't go about plucking up that change and then growing another.  He keeps the changes we have made and then "adds" changes by stimulating us at the "root" of our being (the core) in order to bring about even more growth. We have to be aware of which one of these God is doing - plucking up or stimulating the roots.  When we know clearly he is after the removal of something from the "roots up", then we let go of it.  When we see he is just "digging around those roots" a little, we can be assured what he sees is good at the core, we just need a little help to bring the best growth forth.

Paul is presenting this idea of radical life change - core change.  Core change often requires the expertise we don't possess on our own.  We need God taking us by the hand and "leading" us into this change, otherwise our "best" change may just be a flop (kind of like the changes Penney's made to their stores).  The ideas we have for change aren't "bad", they just aren't God's ideal for our lives - we need his "ideal", not just our "best".  It is heartwarming to me to realize God is leading us through this change.  He doesn't expect us to dig around those roots on our own - nor does he expect us to know which ones need to be totally plucked up.  He takes us by the hand.  This suggest a certain degree of intimacy and caring, doesn't it.  He is going to get "deep into" our core and he wants us to know how much he cares about what it is he is doing.

When we take the hand of another, we are usually doing it because we want to express something in that connection, isn't it?  We don't do it with everyone.  If we just walked up to every stranger in the mall and reached out to take their hand, we'd soon see some pretty radical behavior from them, wouldn't we?  They'd pull back, even scream in surprise.  Why?  We don't have relationship with them and we have no right to hold their hands!  Now, if they were drowning in the lake, they might just crave that connection, but not when they are minding their own business window shopping at the mall!  God doesn't just march right up to us and take us by the hand, telling us he is taking us to the place of change.  First he establishes relationship with us, then he begins to connect with us frequently enough to allow us to develop a trust relationship with him.

Taking the hand of one we trust is much easier, isn't it?  We might just crave these times of "hand leading", because the show how much we are really loved.  You see, when God takes us by the hand, it isn't because he is angry with us, it is because he cares so much for us that he doesn't want to see us continue to embrace stuff in our lives which is doing us harm.  His hand-holding is not just casual - it is purposeful.  He leads, we follow.  He squeezes tight, we know he is at work.  He pulls back, we know it is time to stop.  His touch is our means for radical life change.  Just sayin!

The true you

^3-4You didn't think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he's such a nice God, he'd let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

(Romans 2:3-4)

An amazing truth about God is how immensely patient he is with his children.  He gives us space - to make our own choices.  He gives us time - to come to our own conclusions.  He gives us these things because he knows that in order to have our heart, he must have it yielded willingly.  God is infinitely patient in his waiting for us to turn from our sin - but he will not wait forever.  Sometimes, he gives us gentle nudges to cause us to see our sin.  When he does, remember that it is out of his immense love for us that he has done so.

We often want to take the "focus" off of us by putting it on someone else - pointing out their faults.  It is like we believe that by pointing out the other person's faults, no one will ever see ours, including God!  Silly us!  In fact, look at what another criticizes in another on a frequent basis and you will usually have a good idea of what the one doing the criticizing is struggling with, too!

Look at this passage again - it is not a subtle walk with God that we are called to live out.  It is a "radical" life-change.  These three words say it all!

• Radical - getting at the root of things.  This word carries the idea of getting at the fundamental stuff - what's really at the core of our being.  When God goes for the "root", he is expecting something to be extremely different in the end.  The "root" of something gives it both its stability and its system for being nurtured.  If the "root" is wrong - the fruit will be, as well.
• Life - looking at what is produced.  This word carries the idea of growth - th ability to adapt when moved upon by a force greater than ourselves.  God focuses on the root because he hopes to affect the fruit.  He is concerned with our growth.  His desire is that we no longer "adapt" to the world around us, but that we "adapt" to his will, his direction, and his love for us.  In so doing, he really is "transplanting" us from infertile, diseased soil into the nutrient rich soil of his grace.  There is no better place to take root.
• Change - moving from what we were to what we would become if we were left to our own devices.  God is not as concerned about what we have the "ability" to do as in helping us realize that ability in him.  His greatest goal is to make our "form" or "nature" just like his son's.  To do this, he removes the covering we place over our sin in an attempt to hide it from him and others.  In so doing, the exposure allows him to transform what has been hidden into something that can actually be a display of his grace.

So, it is to this radical life-change that God calls us today.  It is easier to cover up our sin than it is to face it - but no amount of cover-up will change what is produced.  The "cover-up" is over!  It is time to allow the Lord to see the "true" you!  He has something divine he desires to produce...let him at it!