What If We Believed In Grace?
Have you ever made a mistake someone would not let you forget? Have you ever messed up and your own conscience wouldn’t forget? How long have you held on to a hurt or a mistake someone else has made? Somethings are hard to let go of ya know it? It is so much easier to keep carrying things; mistakes, wrongs, offenses, and sins. What if we could let it all go?
AND what if we could put it ALL down AND THEN have the ability to walk away? What if we could do it with our friends, our enemies and even our parents?
I grew up with the idea that God has a great big book of everything. Have ya’ll ever gotten that idea...that God is up there making sure it is all written down, especially the screw-ups? Where does that come from? Yes, there are images of God’s judgement in the Bible. There are mentions of lists too in the Bible and if not read carefully or with the perspective of key points, we miss the more subtle ones.
The Key Point is getting the right perspective of God.
John 14:6-9 Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to the Father is through me. (7) If you really knew me, you would know my Father too. But now you know the Father. You have seen him." (8) Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need." (9) Jesus answered, "Philip, I have been with you for a long time. So you should know me. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father too. So why do you say, 'Show us the Father'?
What if you believed Jesus is who he says he is? Most people like Jesus a whole lot, even unbelievers and atheists. Then they point to the Old Testament and try to explain away Jesus’ words. But Jesus is saying here we can’t do that! “Anyone who has SEEN me has SEEN the Father too.” Look at God in the Old Testament through Jesus’ glasses. In Jesus, we see GOD. Period. He is quick to forgive. He is quick to heal. He is quick to teach. He is quick to correct. He is quick to love. And all those things are true of God the Father. And when we get that, we can face the subtle point.
The Subtle Point is the same God who forgives, is the same God who helps us live.
Luke 18:1-7 Then Jesus taught the followers that they should always pray and never lose hope. He used this story to teach them: (2) "Once there was a judge in a town. He did not care about God. He also did not care what people thought about him. (3) In that same town there was a woman whose husband had died. She came many times to this judge and said, 'There is a man who is doing bad things to me. Give me my rights!' (4) But the judge did not want to help the woman. After a long time, the judge thought to himself, 'I don't care about God. And I don't care about what people think. (5) But this woman is bothering me. If I give her what she wants, then she will leave me alone. But if I don't give her what she wants, she will bother me until I am sick.'" (6) The Lord said, "Listen, there is meaning in what the bad judge said. (7) God's people shout to him night and day, and he will always give them what is right. He will not be slow to answer them. (ERV)