Grace Again

In his book, In the Grip of Grace, Max Lucado addresses the question of whether we can use up or run out of God’s grace and forgiveness with a tongue-in-cheek response letter from heaven:

“Dear Mrs. Smith:

I’m writing in response to this morning’s request for forgiveness. I’m sorry to inform you that you have reached your quota of sins. Our records show that, since employing our services, you have erred seven times in the area of greed, and your prayer life is substandard when compared to others of like age and circumstance.

“Further review reveals that your understanding of doctrine is in the lower 20 percentile and you have excessive tendencies to gossip. Because of your sins you are a high-risk candidate for heaven. You understand that grace has its limits. Jesus sends his regrets and kindest regards and hopes that you will find some other form of coverage.”

Will God refuse to listen to my prayers if I’m in a rotten mood, if have wronged someone without making amends, if I harbor resentment in my heart or have difficulty forgiving someone? What if I have a bad attitude or have offended God’s perfect laws and am not even yet aware of it? Will the Lord, who gave his life for me when I was his enemy, turn his face away from me because I have not come to a satisfactory level of repentance and true confession for every way, shape and form that I have not met his requirements of holiness?

On the contrary, He is waiting for me to come to Him in the middle of my unholy ways. The blood of Jesus cleanses me from all unrighteousness, continuously. I’ll be needing it as long as I am in this earthly body. It’s the righteousness of Jesus I am clothed with, as I receive again his forgiveness and grace. It’s a heart filled with gratitude that receives it, over and over. I bow at his feet, I lay my head on his shoulder, I yield to his unconditional embrace, and I am renewed again. And as I spend time in his presence, his grace enfolds me, and by association and impartation, through faith and the Word He speaks to me, I become a little more like Him again.

Over All These Things -- Love

Oh, Love of God, be real in me.
Be seen in actions, words and thoughts that come
From your heart, oh, Lord, streaming out through mine.
Be the Lord of every partition of my life,
All my kingdoms now yours.
Show yourself strong, fountains of joy, floods of peace,
Flowing through me in Love.
Oh, Love of God, be my foundation.
Be the walls of my living and the ceiling of my existence
Yet traveling infinitely in every direction.
Burst through into every circumstance as I lift belly-born praise to You!

In this was manifested the love of God toward us: God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we dwell in him, and he in us: He has given us his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has toward us. God is love; and he that lives in love lives in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear involves punishment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. – 1 John 4:9-19

His love has made us “unpunishable,” if we receive it. It was the love of God that caused Jesus to receive all the punishment for all of our sin.

And because He has put His Spirit within us, we can love one another:

Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. – Romans 5:5

Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, “Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously”: So will we render the calves of our lips. – Hosea 14:2

Instead of bringing blood sacrifices, we now bring to God the praises of our lips, thanking Him forever for His perfect Sacrifice that took away the sin of the world.

The Great Divide

Cleft of a Rock

The Cross of Jesus Christ is the Great Divide, a line in time and eternity that splits apart two eras: Law and Grace. In the Old Covenant from God, the Law was given, but in the New Covenant, Grace came - in the Person of Jesus Christ. Now we can be made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We could never keep the Law and be righteous. But now, in Christ, we are the righteousness of God -- a free gift from the Only Righteous One (2 Corinthians 5:21). Believe and receive, and you will be forever a new creation!

Now we see that all Scripture must be filtered through the Cross of Jesus.  From the Law of Moses to Jesus' death and resurrection, people lived under the Old Covenant, B.C., otherwise known as the Law, the Ministry of Death.  But now, those who put their faith in Jesus Christ, have been transferred from the Old into the New, the Covenant of Grace, the Law of the Spirit and life, the Covenant of Promise.  Like our spiritual father, Abraham, we become righteous, through faith, by the power of God's saving grace.  It has always been by faith in His grace, and the Law showed us how much we needed it.  For there is none righteous, no not one, and there never will be -- except Jesus.  It is His righteousness that we receive when we believe.  We still cannot ever be righteous in ourselves, but we are no longer tied to the Law; we are captured by His Grace.

Changed Into His Likeness

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. – 1 John 3:2-3

I am purified by focusing my hope on Jesus Christ. I cannot purify myself. He does it, when I focus my attention on Him. For as He is [now], so are we in this world – It is finished: He has done it! (1 John 4:17).

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. – Eph. 1:18-23; 2:5-7

This is where I am and who I am in Christ! He is the head, and I am part of His body, seated in the heavens at the right hand of God.

But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:15-18

I am transformed into His image as I turn to the Lord (away from the Law and trying to keep it) and by beholding the glory of the Lord. As I focus my gaze on Him, I am transformed in ever-increasing levels (from glory to glory).

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. – Hebrews 12:1-3

I can run the race with endurance, by laying aside (stop being conscious of) my sin, fixing my eyes on Jesus and considering Him. For He is the writer and the completer of my faith (not me!) It’s not my endurance that gets me through, but His. It’s not my righteousness that makes me walk blamelessly, but His. It’s not my perfect behavior that makes me pure, but His! Thank you, Jesus! This righteousness is imputed to me by the powerful finished work of His blood shed on the cross.

Be a Thermostat

By His Spirit the Lord says:

Don't be a thermometer. Be a thermostat. Do not labor to regulate yourself according to the temperature of external things and people -- even the spiritual. Do not simply reflect the spiritual climate or mental/emotional mood that surrounds you. My Holy Spirit, indwelling, is your Regulator. You are a bringer of peace, joy and light.

You grow the fruits of My Spirit, for the nourishment of those who are hungry around you. You also hold inside you multiple gifts of My Spirit (in unlimited supply) to be distributed to others as needed. This is determined by the mind of Christ, not by the demands or cravings of people.

Let Me regulate you. Do not be regulated by the dictates of circumstances or people around you.

If I am regulating you, your life will grow in the fruits of My Spirit, and My power will be manifested through you to distribute My gifts as I will. 

I do not always have the ability to withstand effects of words spoken or activity happening around me. Protection from other-conrol and power to overcome is activated by praying in the Spirit. Something comes at me (even a negative thought in my own mind). I can train myself to respond by grabbing every thought and taking it captive to Christ's obedience (what He accomplished for me on the cross).

Respond to negativity by praying in the Spirit. This is the flow of rivers of living water out of your belly (John 7:37-38). Open the floodgate. The Holy Spirit, then, is given the avenue to wash away all the muck and bring new life.

What is Lovingkindness?

Here's something to meditate on. I found it in "Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words," of all places. I believe that, whenever I meditate on God's lovingkindness, turning it over and over in my mind and letting it sink into my innermost being, I am being changed into His likeness.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind [be metamorphosed by the renovation of your understanding], so that you may discern what is the good [beneficial], acceptable [well-pleasing] and perfect [complete] will of God. – Romans 12:2

Here is the Vine's quote. It's lengthy, but worth the meditation:

Loving-kindness [Hebrew hesed] – “loving-kindness; steadfast love; grace; mercy; faithfulness; goodness; devotion.” The term is one of the most important in the vocabulary of Old Testament theology and ethics.

In general, one may identify three basic meanings of the word, which always interact: “strength” [Greek dunamis], “steadfastness” [from everlasting to everlasting], and “love” [Greek agape]. Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness. [It appears to include God’s omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence.]

The word refers primarily to mutual and reciprocal rights and obligations between the parties of a relationship (especially Yahweh and Israel). But hesed is not only a matter of obligation; it is also of generosity. It is not only a matter of loyalty, but also of mercy. The weaker party seeks the protection and blessing of the patron and protector, but he may not lay absolute claim to it. The stronger party remains committed to his promise, but retains his freedom, especially with regard to the manner in which he will implement those promises. Hesed implies personal involvement and commitment in a relationship beyond the rule of law.

“Devotion” is sometimes the single English word best capable of capturing the nuance of the original. Hebrew writers often underscored the element of steadfastness (or strength) by pairing hesed with emet (“truth; reliability”) and emunah (“faithfulness; certainty”).

The concrete content of the word is especially evident when it is used in the plural. God’s “mercies,” “kindnesses,” or “faithfulnesses” are His specific, concrete acts of redemption in fulfilment of His promise. An example appears in Isaiah 55:3: “. . . And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” [Clearly referring to Jesus!]

Hesed is God’s most central characteristic. God’s loving-kindness is offered to his people, who need redemption from sin, troubles, and enemies [the flesh, the world, the devil]. A recurrent refrain describing God’s nature is “abounding/plenteous in hesed” (Exo. 34:6; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 103.8; Jon. 4:2). The entire history of Yahweh’s covenantal relationship with Israel can be summarized in terms of hesed. It is the one permanent element in the flux of covenantal history. (Woohoo!  Isn't God good?)

The association of hesed with ‘covenant” keeps it from being misunderstood as mere providence or love for all creatures; it applies primarily to God’s particular love for His chosen and covenanted people. “Covenant” also stresses the reciprocity of the relationship; but since God’s hesed is ultimately beyond the covenant, it will not ultimately be abandoned, even when the human partner is unfaithful and must be disciplined (Isa. 54:8, 10). Since its final triumph and implementation is eschatological [referring to the final destiny of all humankind], hesed can imply the goal and end of all salvation-history (Ps. 8:7, 10; 130:7; Mic. 7:20).

Say the Word . . .

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as
perfume and incense -- Proverbs 27:9 [NLT]

Oh, Lord, when I am grieved in my spirit and my soul about the negativity of humanity around me, I run to you, my Hiding Place. Enlarge my tent, O Lord, and expand my intake of You. Please teach me how to NOT react out of the fleshiness of my soul and NOT to agree with the Accuser of the brethren. Please teach me and move me to respond out of my spirit, in agreement with Your Spirit, with prayer, with praise, with worship, with ministry in two or three or six (!) directions. One thing I do. I look to you. Teach me and move me to fix my gaze. Thank you, Lord, that you are bigger, you are greater, you are better.

With words from your mouth, you created everything we know, and how much more that we don’t know. With one word, You can completely change my life, calling things that are not, as though they were. And Bam! There they are! Teach me to say what You’re saying, Lord, to go where You’re going, to do what You’re doing – everywhere, every day, every way. All Your ways are good, and all Your paths are perfect. There is a good word to be said in response to any negativity. Put it in my mouth, Lord! Lead me on . . .

But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: Jesus! He is the Good Word. – from Romans 10:8

Madelynn and Julia -- BFF