Grace for the Race

You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. (John 16:20)

Today we have a promise of unimaginable blessing when we understand what our Lord was telling His disciples then and His disciples today. Jesus told His disciples that He was going the way of death and they would see Him no more. But, after a little while, they would see Him again. His death would lead to His resurrection, demonstrating His ultimate power over the entire universe, including the last enemy death. The grief the disciples would experience on Good Friday when Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried, would turn to unimaginable gladness on that first Easter morning, when Jesus walked out of the grave alive and well.

In this life, we always have a choice in how we deal with what is going in our lives. We can live frustrated and defeated lives or we can live faithful and victorious lives, simply by keeping our focus on our Lord Jesus. Grief is real and it is right to grieve when we are facing storms in this life. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We hope in the One who conquered sin, Satan, and death and He is in control of every detail of our lives. When we keep our focus on our Lord, we will rise above the circumstances we are facing in life because Jesus had promised to turn our grief into gladness.

Remember, greater is the power that is at work in you than any power that comes up against you. But trusting in Jesus and depending upon Him in every set of circumstances in life that we face, we have the promise Jesus gave to His disciples 2,000 years ago – NO ONE WILL TAKE AWAY YOUR JOY. Give every grief to God and in His time and in His way, He will turn it all to gladness.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Our Lord gave to the apostle Paul a “thorn” in his flesh, a messenger of Satan, to maximize his ministry impact through a strength greater than his own . . . God’s strength. We are never told what that “thorn” was but we are told a few other things about the importance of it. First, it was given to Paul to keep him from becoming conceited. Next, Paul pleaded with the Lord to take it away, not once, but three times. And He did not. Finally, we read, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” This is what I call, “The Wonderful Witness of Weakness.”

Instead of removing the thorn and delivering Paul from his painful weakness, God chooses to demonstrate His Omnipotent power in and through Paul. Think about it this way. God delights in displaying His power through weak people like you and me. Paul had to totally depend upon God in order to fulfill his calling in his ministry. And the same is true for me and you. Weakness drives us into the presence of God where we trust in Him to give us all we need to do all He is calling us to do. The question is do we allow our weakness to witness to the awesome power and care of our Lord Jesus in our lives.

Remember, when we are strong in abilities or resources, we have a tendency to work in our own strength, in our way and in our time, which can lead to sinful pride. But when we are weak, we have no choice but to allow God to fill us to overflowing with His Power and His Grace to witness to His glory. Are you feeling weak today? Let your weakness witness to the power of your Great Savior.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

Perhaps you have seen the acronym – E.G.O. – Edging God Out. This is a problem for all of us as we all have a tendency to edge God out of our lives or at least confine Him to the circumference of our lives, because we have chosen to sit upon the throne of our lives. We all have a bit of Antonio Salieri in our hearts.

In Amadeus, a film about Mozart’s life, Antonio Salieri, an ambitious eighteenth-century composer offers this prayer up to God:

“Lord, make me a great composer. Let me celebrate Your glory through music and be celebrated myself. Make me famous throughout the world, dear God; make me immortal. After I die, let people speak my name forever with love for what I wrote. In return I will give You my chastity, my industry, my deep humility, my life.”

Antonio Salieri was a very successful composer, but his skill level never rose to the level of Mozart. Frustrated by the success of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who lived a debauched life before the face of God, Salieri turned away from God, believing God had betrayed him. He edged God out of his life. In a memorable scene in the movie, Salieri takes a crucifix from the wall of his room and places it into the fire. Selfish ambition blinded Salieri to the good gifts God had given him to be used for the good of others and God’s glory.

Have you been comparing yourself to anyone lately? Are you frustrated with the level of your accomplishments compared to others? Have you ever prayed a prayer like the one Salieri prayed, bargaining with God for your blessing? By nature, we all have some Salieri in our hearts which is why we must be on guard to keep E.G.O. at bay in our lives. Like Paul, we must learn to be content with our lot in life, even when compared to others, it’s not a lot! If you have Jesus, you have everything you need.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. (Proverbs 2:20)

How is your spiritual appetite lately? To you have a hunger for God? Is it possible to maintain a spiritual appetite throughout life? I want to encourage you today with two simple steps to maintain your spiritual appetite regardless of the circumstances you are facing in life, whether difficult or delightful.

#1 Remember God’s Love For You

The first step in maintaining your spiritual appetite throughout life is to remember “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18). Keeping the love of God in Christ Jesus before you will keep you hungry and thirsty for the living God. Remember, God does not love you because you are lovable. He loves you because you are His. God loves you perfectly in your every imperfection.

#2 Forsake Eating Folly Food

The second step in maintaining your spiritual appetite throughout life is to remember to forsake junk food. The God-sized hole in you can only be filled by God. When you try to fill it with anything smaller than Jesus, it will always leave you wanting. No matter how much success you experience in this life, nothing will satisfy the deepest desire of your heart – Jesus. Remember, “the discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly” (Proverbs 15:14). 

So, what have you been filling up on lately? When you make knowing God your highest priority in life, you will find your spiritual appetite growing throughout life. You will simply be unable to satisfy your hunger for all things holy. Stay in the Word of God. Stay in close communion with Jesus. Stay connected to your family of faith weekly. Remember God’s love for you and forsake eating folly food and God will continue cultivating your appetite for Him until the day you are brought into glory.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in your will carry it on to completion. (Philippians 1:6)

Perhaps you are familiar with the phrase “Plan B” as it relates to an alternative plan of action for use if the original plan should go awry. Regardless of where this finds you today, you’re still on God’s “Plan A” because in God’s economy in the life of the believer, there is no such thing as “Plan B.”

When we all look back at our lives, we see a past littered with mistakes and missteps, sins and shortcomings, causing us to fall short of God’s best for our lives. But no matter what we have been through, no matter how bad we may have messed up, God’s original “Plan A” is still in effect. God has not revoked His original plan for our lives. God has not repealed His original goal for our lives. God has not rescinded His original desire for our lives. God is using everything that has happened in our lives to bring us into the fulfillment of His “Plan A” for your life. And what is God’s “Plan A” in the life of every believer? In a word, Christ-likeness.

God has promised to work everything in our lives to accomplish His “Plan A” and conforming us into the image and likeness of His Son. God takes our successes and our failures, our victories and our defeats, and works it all together for our good and His glory, and nothing will keep God from making His “Plan A” come together and be fulfilled. Remember, God is in complete control of all things and is fitting together every decision, both good and bad, to make us more like Jesus. Let that truth set you free to rise above the waves of challenge knowing He who began the good work in you is bringing it to completion, in His time and in His way.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (Ephesians 3:20)

Age related memory loss is part of the fall. We get old, we have a tendency to forget some things, and then we die. Yet, “Doxological Dementia” is not an age-related disease confined to the minds of those who are growing older. It affects all of us, both young and old alike, when we forget not only who we are, but even more importantly, Whose we are. Today’s doxology is designed to deliver us from a form of dementia that robs our joy, restricts our freedom, and retards our growth.

The apostle Paul uses a profound term to express God’s superabundant ability to bless us beyond our imagination. Here are a few other translations of what Paul is expressing: “immeasurable more” – “exceedingly abundantly above all” – “infinitely more.”  In other words, there is no limit to God’s ability to bless His people . . .  according to His power that is at work . . .  in every one of His children. The same power that raised Jesus from the grave, is the same power that is at work within us, moment by moment. Because we not only have finite minds, but finite minds that are fallen, broken, and sin-stained, we simply cannot comprehend the Cosmic Care God delivers to us daily, far above anything we can ask, imagine, dream, or desire.

Remember, because God is in Sovereign control of all things, in His infinite wisdom, authority, and power, He is working all things together for our ultimate good, even when it does not look like that on the surface. When you face circumstances that argue against your hope, hope anyway, because you have a God who is ready, willing, and able to bless you beyond what you could ever imagine. Because we are apt to forget and allow a bit of “Doxological Dementia” to seep in, it is critical to come into the presence of Jesus each day through prayer and the study of His Word.   

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25:34)

Esau’s hunger pangs got the best of him and he settled for some stew and sold his birthright to his brother Jacob. How often we find ourselves like Esau, settling for some momentary treasure over against our eternal destiny. So, when was the last time you settled for some stew instead of your Savior?

Think about it this way: God has given us many promises in His Word. But often, we are not willing to wait on the Lord to fulfill them in His way and in His timing. Abraham and Sarah had the promise of God that they would be the parents of a son. But from their perspective, it was taking God way too long to fulfill His promise. So, they took matters into their own hands. Sarah gave Abraham her servant and they had a child, that was not according to the promise of God. When we settle for stew over our Savior it blinds our eyes, binds our ears, and blocks our forward progress.

The key to keep from settling for some stew over our Savior is rooted in our focus. If we focus on the here and now, then we will likely settle for stew. But if we keep our focus on the there and then . . . living in the light of eternity . . . then we will rise above the temporal and settle for nothing less than the eternal. Only an eternal perspective will positively affect our earthly priorities. Jesus made it clear that we are all treasure hunters. The question we must ask and answer each day is: What treasure are we hunting for?

We all know by way of personal experience that it is a poor tradeoff indeed to settle for temporary pleasure when already have been given every imaginable eternal treasure in Jesus. But we must remember, we are children of the King and a royal priesthood by way of second birth. We must never sell our birthright to some temporal treasure, some earthly stew, when we have been given the greatest eternal treasure imaginable – Jesus.   

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” (Mark 2:16)

The self-righteous Pharisees and teachers of the law could not comprehend why Jesus would associate with “sinners” and tax collectors for one simple reason, they simply were blind to their own sin. Yet, their statement, which was meant as an insult, is a source of great comfort for those who know their own sinfulness, fallenness, and brokenness.

To know that Jesus is a friend of sinners is to know a profound and promising biblical truth. First, to be a friend of sinners means Jesus had to willingly come into this world subjecting Himself to living in a fallen and broken world. As the second person of the Trinity, Jesus came down off His heavenly throne, took on flesh, to dwell among us. Now that is profound. Second, to be a friend of sinners means Jesus had to intentionally invite us into an intimate and personal relationship with Him, because we were rebels on the run away from Him. Now that is promising.  

These self-righteous religious leaders thought their right standing before God was rooted in their rigorous following of their rituals and rules. To them, it was all about the externals. But Jesus made it clear that our right standing before God was rooted in a right relationship with Him. By the way, let me make one thing perfectly clear. The reason Jesus ate with “sinners” is because that’s all He had to eat with – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus looked for relationship with the outcasts, socially unacceptable, marginalized, and ostracized.

Regardless of where this finds you today, whether in storms or sunshine, Jesus came for you. He lived for you. He died for you. He rose from the dead for you. And He is coming back for you. Remember, Jesus being a friend of sinners did not mean He condoned sinful behavior. He did not spend time with sinners to join in their sinful ways. Rather, in love, He was calling sinners like me and you to turn from sin and toward their Savior. We are His broken-yet beloved bride. 

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

First, take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:5)

In His great Sermon on the Mount, our Lord Jesus used a holy hyperbole here to make a powerful point. Before you spend time trying to remove a tiny speck of dust from your friend’s eye, take a moment to remove the massive plank from your own. In other words, Jesus is telling all of us that we can become blind to our own faults. Instead of focusing on the faults of others, we ought to examine ourselves and when we do, we will know that we too, fall far short of God’s goal for our lives each and every day.

Jesus made this point in a profound way when the religious leaders brought to Him the woman caught in the act of adultery. First, being caught in the act of adultery presupposes two people. But nowhere do we read about them bringing in the man too. So, how does Jesus respond to their “plank” perspective?

“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

Of course, the only person in the group who was without sin was Jesus. Jesus was the only one who had the right to cast judgment upon this woman, and he did. He did not excuse the woman’s sin of adultery, and when He forgave her, He told her “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11).

Now, Jesus was not telling His people to forsake judgment. He did say there was a speck in the eye of others. We are called to speak the truth in love and to offer help, encouragement, and even rebuke to others . . .  in love. But, before we can help anyone, we must first let Jesus help us and come to terms with our own faults, sins, and shortcomings.

Remember, the problem with a plank perspective is we simply cannot see clearly. We must first honestly face up to the true condition of our hearts, which is deceitful, and then we can in love, look to others to help, heal, and provide hope.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!

I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten. (Joel 2:25)

When I look back over the years, there are some seasons in life that, if I could, I would like to do it over again. Yet, I am reminded that God has promised to restore even the years the locust have eaten. And they have eaten more than their fair share. Can I get a witness?

I am sure we all feel like this from time to time. But we need to cry out to Jesus to rescue us from such stinking thinking. We must remember that we see so little of life. We are like the school child peering through the quarter-size hole in the wooden fence. Not only do we see only a tiny portion of what God is doing in our lives, we understand even less. That is why we must always keep in view that Jesus is all about redemption, not do-overs! Jesus is busily engaged in redeeming all the time that we think was wasted, because there is no such thing as wasted time.

Now I know the past is littered with many loses. There are painful seasons. There are fruitless seasons. There are selfish seasons. There are prodigal seasons. But regardless of where this finds you today, forsake regret and look to your Redeemer. Jesus has promised to make all things new, including you. He is at work, sharpening and shaping you into His image. Live in that confidence and that confidence will rise to hope.

Remember, Jesus is Lord and here we have an impossible promise. He will restore the one thing we simply cannot save or store up – TIME. Now, the lost season will not be restored. But the lost Savior will be. Jesus will deepen our dependence upon Him. Jesus will heighten our hope in Him. Jesus will strengthen our surrender to Him. We do not need Jesus to redo anything in our lives. We simply need Him to do what He has promised – to redeem and restore the years the locusts have eaten. Oh, what a Savior we have in Jesus.

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!