Grace for the Race

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Other than our Lord Jesus Christ, no one in all of sacred Scripture endured more suffering than the apostle Paul. Paul did not pen his epistles from some cushy ivory tower; rather, many of Paul’s letters while he was sitting on cold prison floors while chained to Roman guards. But he endured so much more than that!

• He was scourged by the religious leaders five times
• He was beaten with rods three times
• He was shipwrecked three times
• He spent a night and a day adrift at sea
• He was stoned one time
• He was in danger from rivers and robbers
• He was in danger in cities and deserts and on the sea
• He endured hunger, thirst, and sleepless nights

So how could a man who had experienced so much pain and suffering say, “When I am weak, then I am strong?” The answer is that in his human weakness, Paul relied on and rested in God’s supernatural strength . . . the strength that sustained him through everything he had to endure for the advancement of the Gospel.

As paradoxical as it seems, it is only when we acknowledge our own weakness that we begin to advance in the strength of our Savior. Trusting in our own strength removes Jesus from the throne of our lives and inevitably leads to pride and self-sufficiency. But when we acknowledge our own weakness, God pours His strength out into our lives.

Now, God is not expecting us to seek to be weak. We have been commanded by God to do everything in our power to accomplish His will in our lives. Paul himself was inspired to exhort us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart” (Colossians 3:23). But when we realize that we cannot do it all in our own strength, we begin to tap into the strength of the Almighty. Without our weakness, we would never realize our need for God’s grace to sustain us when the storms winds of life are blowing. Paul knew it was only through the strength of his Savior that he was able to fight the good fight of faith and finish his race.

So . . . do you know this truth today? When you sense your human weakness, do you lean more into your Lord? The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that resides in you. And that power is able to sustain you in every storm. Remember, only what we do in His strength brings glory to God and eternal good to others.

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

My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.  (John 17:15)

What a powerful prayer Jesus sets before us this day! If Jesus is not praying that the Father would take us out of this world, that means we still have kingdom work to do. If our work was finished, we would be at home with our Lord. Because we are not yet home, we have unfinished business to complete for the glory of God and the good of others. Soon enough we will have finished the good fight of faith; but until we do, let us continue doing all God has called us to do with everything He has given us to do it with.

I’m sure that every servant of the Most High God has occasionally thought the same thoughts as the apostle Paul:

I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  (Philippians 1:23-24)

It would indeed be far better for us to be absent from our bodies and present with our Lord Jesus Christ, but that blessed existence will not be ours until we have finished the work He has set before us. God’s best for us is often not what we want, but rather what He wants for us. And because you are reading this right now, it is “more necessary” for you to remain where you are, to grow where you are planted, and to serve all those whom God places in your path. Remember, God doesn’t need you; He wants you . . . but everyone else needs you, whether they want you or not!

I recognize that we sometimes look forward to departing this life and being with our Lord simply because of the struggles and storms we face in this life. Our thoughts may sometimes yearn more for the absence of storms than for the presence of our Savior. But that is only because we are fallen, broken human beings who take our eyes off of Jesus, as Peter did when he stepped out of the boat and walked on water . . . until he took his eyes off of Jesus and started looking fearfully at the wind and the waves. To guard against this tendency that we all have, let us remember the prayer of our Lord and commit the life we have left on this earth to be used by God for anything He so desires to use us for, for as long as He sees fit.

We know we have unfinished business because we still have life. There may be some blinking beacons of unfinished business in your life right now that would benefit from your attention. Perhaps it is related to your education? Possibly it is in a relationship within your family? Maybe it is relating to your career or finances? Whatever it might be, go to work on it in the strength of the Lord and rest in the truth that God knows when it will be finished.

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

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. (1 Corinthians 1:4)

Here are two of the most forgotten words in the English language: “Thank You!” These words should be applied to both our vertical relationship with God and our horizontal relationships with each other.

So let me ask you right now: When was the last time you gratefully, wholeheartedly said those two words to God . . . and to others?

Here is an idea to keep in mind that should help you and I strengthen our commitment to using these two forgotten words. When was the last time someone said “Thank you” to you for something you did? How did it make you feel? First, their words let you know you were appreciated. Second, didn’t you feel affirmed in the deep place, knowing that the one who was thanking you was acknowledging your importance in their life?

Sadly, we live in a cultural context of entitlement, a mindset that no longer sees much need of thanksgiving. After all, if you are “entitled” to something, there is no need to be thankful when you get it. When this sense of entitlement rises to the level of God and His gift of eternal life, it becomes the ultimate blasphemy.

Look at it this way: if you think you have earned God’s favor and merited your way into eternal life, there is no one to thank but yourself. As Paul observed in his epistle to the Romans, “To the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation” (Romans 4:4 NET). In other words, if you believe that you earned eternal life by “living a good life,” then eternal life is not a gift; God is obliged to repay your good works with eternal life. But when you see everything—including eternal life—as a gift from God’s gracious hand, gratitude begins to seize you and the two words “Thank you” begin to flow through you.

When you think about everything in your life right now, is there anything you have that you have not been given? Paul asked the Christians at Corinth, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Paul’s rhetorical question had been answered years before by John the Baptist, who said, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven” (John 3:27 ESV). And even when you “earned” something by the sweat of your brow, that strength and skill to labor is a gift from God, who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways (Daniel 5:23).

Cicero once said, “A thankful heart is . . . the parent of all other virtues.” In other words, a thankful heart is the key that unlocks the door leading to living a life that truly matters.

Let me close with two final thoughts. First, is there anyone in your life right now who could benefit by hearing those two words—“Thank you!”—from you today? Second, what should you be thanking God for right now? The more you say “Thank you,” the more you will become thankful, and that is a very attractive quality—both to God and to all those He places in your life.

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

The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, throwing them into great confusion until they are destroyed.  (Deuteronomy 7:22-23)

If you are anything like me, you would much rather experience victory all at once, not “little by little.” I would, more often than not, prefer to win with a single blow to the enemies of God than do battle day after day after day after day. But regardless of what we might prefer, we all know full well that it often takes years to break through strongholds in order to expand the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

When the Lord told the people of Israel, “You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once,” we know He had a perfect reason for saying so. A victory too easily won might just as easily be overrun. Achieving the victory is one thing; maintaining the victory is another thing altogether. God must not only give us the victory, He must also grow us through the victory in order to maintain the ground our God has gained for us. And that beloved, takes time . . . often a great deal of time!

The years of serving as a pastor have taught me that God, in His providence, often chooses to work by degrees. To be sure, we can look back and see the miraculous that happened in a moment. Perhaps God brought you through a sickness. Maybe God delivered you from the hands of a gossip or slanderer. Possibly God met a financial need in an instant. But for the most part, God chooses to work His miracles in our lives by degrees, and here are three reasons why:

#1. He increases our dependence upon Him

#2. He increases our faith in Him

#3. He increases our character through Him

Let us thank our God today for the victories He brings into our lives little by little. It really does help us to release our “white-knuckle” grip on fleshly security! Thank God for those incremental advances, because we can be fully assured that one day soon, God will add together your many “littles” and bring you into a final, victorious whole.

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

The revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3)

I heard this statement many years ago: “God does not always come when we call on Him, but He is always right on time!” The point is clear. There are times in life when God’s deliverance is delayed, but only “delayed” from our perspective. Our omniscient Lord knows exactly what we need and exactly when we need to receive it. Every one of God’s messages of mercy has its appointed time, and it is only in their appointed time that they will appear and deliver their blessing.

Notice just how Habakkuk set forth this biblical truth. God’s Word is not some “dead letter” that cannot respond to meet us in our place of deepest need. Scripture is living and active; it “speaks” and it “comes” to us, and we can take those two truths to the bank. We must never forget that God’s Word will come and deliver us at God’s appointed time . . . not ours.

Notice also the words from the inspired pen of Habakkuk: “will not prove false.” Every word from our God is true; every promise from God is “Yes” and “Amen” in our Lord Jesus Christ.

So . . . what have you been asking God for lately? Where in your life do you need Him to show up in a big way? Even though the promise of God may seem to “linger,” it will not be lost. And remember, God has a special blessing waiting for you in that season of lingering. You see, God’s perfect timing frequently includes the season of lingering. When God’s blessings linger, we are to lean more into God and away from ourselves. When God’s blessings linger, we learn to trust more in our God, walking by faith rather than by sight.

Wait and watch . . . linger and look . . . to the Faithful One who has set the appointed time—the perfect time—for your ship of blessing to come sailing in.

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

The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation.  I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.  (Isaiah 60:22)

Have you been feeling small lately? In other words, have you been feeling insignificant, irrelevant, unimportant, or of no consequence? Well, today I have a word of incredible encouragement for you, rooted in what the prophet Isaiah tells us about miraculous math.

These words remind me of the language of the apostle Paul. He knew what he was before his conversion—a sinner in need of a Savior—and he knew what he was after his conversion: a sinner in need of a Savior. This truth was so deeply impressed upon Paul’s heart that he frankly acknowledged that his place in kingdom work was, as far as he was concerned, not a place of glory. “I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle,” he wrote, “because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9).

God is in the business of increase—taking a little and making it much. I cannot think of many ministries that did not start small. That certainly was true when we planted Cross Community Church. We began with few people and scant resources, meeting in a converted movie theater, but God has grown us in His way and in His time.

And remember this: when the beginning is set upon a small scale, there can be no doubt Who has grown it along the way. God took one small, smooth stone in David’s sling and slew the giant Goliath. God took the little boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish, and more than 5,000 were fed that day.

Regardless of where this message finds you today, God is ready to take what little you have and multiply it for the good of others and for His glory. As you look out into your network of friends, do you feel like you are the least in terms of time, talent, or treasure? Give what you have to the One who can make much out of little. Remember, the world is in the business of looking for those who have great ability to accomplish great things. But God is looking for those who are available, regardless of their ability, so that He can accomplish great things through them.

God says to you today, “The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation.” What more could you ask for?

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

Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor. (Matthew 27:13-14)

Pilate pressed our Lord to speak on His own behalf, and we read—often with astonishment—that Jesus made no reply. John records that Pilate was afraid; no doubt the Roman governor was accustomed to men pleading for their lives when the slow, agonizing death of crucifixion loomed ahead them. Yet Jesus was silent.

It certainly wasn’t because our Lord could think of nothing to say; elsewhere in Scripture we read, “No one ever spoke the way this man spoke” (John 7:46) and that “The crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority,” (Matthew 7:28-29). Jesus was the living Word of God; He certainly was not struggling to find the right words!

One lesson you and I can draw from our Lord’s example is that in the life of every disciple of Christ, there is a time to be silent and a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7). The key is to possess the discernment to know which time is which!

So much can be said about these two words—“no reply”—that can bring great encouragement into the life of the Christian. Jesus made no reply when words might have brought a blessing to Himself . . . but never did He withhold His words when He could bless others.

Jesus said to the fishermen He found by the shore, “Come,” and they became fishers of men.

Jesus said to the man up in a tree, “Come down immediately,” and Zacchaeus rose up into the ministry of the Gospel alongside His Master.

Jesus said to the woman at the well, “Will you give me a drink?” and she was given living water, becoming the first evangelist in her town of Samaria. Thanks to her joyful message of hope, many became believers.

Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” and she left His presence forgiven and faithful to Her Lord.

And Jesus said to the disciple who had denied Him three times, “Feed my sheep,” and Peter was restored to a life of ministry and service to the King of kings.

These are just a few of the many examples of the words of Jesus blessing others. He gave no reply to Pilate, refusing to provide a defense against the false accusations leveled against Him, but He never missed the opportunity to defend and bless others.

So . . . where has Jesus spoken into your life that brought you great blessing? Remember, Jesus made no reply because He chose to take our place and die on a cross. Jesus made no reply so that He could drink the full cup of God’s wrath on our behalf. Jesus made no reply because His silence testified to Him being the true Lamb of God, fulfilling the prophecy that he would be silent “like a sheep that before its shearers is silent” (Isaiah 53:7).

But then, at the very moment when the principalities and powers of this dark world expected Him to remain silent, as He hung on the cross, beaten and bleeding and gasping out His last breaths, Jesus the Christ opened His mouth and gave the triumphant victory cry that caused the earth to shake and the rocks to split open: “It is finished!” Your debt of sin has been freely and fully paid; your enmity with God is at an end; you need only appropriate your eternal salvation by placing your trust in Him who died for your sake and was raised to life that you might have life in Him.

And regarding your relationship with Him, He has not stopped speaking words of life to you, nor will He all the way into glory. If by chance God has shone His light into your heart in these recent moments so that you have clearly heard these words of life for the first time, I pray you will hear and accept this gracious invitation from the precious Lamb of God:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

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

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)

Make no mistake about this biblical truth: your life . . . my life . . . everyone’s life . . . will serve as either an example to follow or a warning sign telling others to turn away.

I have coached athletes for decades, and I have always been amazed at this statement from high-profile athletes: “I am not a role model!” The painful truth is, they may not want to be a role model, but they most definitely are for someone who is watching them. The same can be said for everyone who professes faith in Jesus Christ.

Did you know that you are the only Bible that some people will ever read? There are tens of millions of men and women and boys and girls who know nothing about the 66 books of sacred Scripture, but they do know a great deal about the life they see you living before their eyes. And because you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ, the way you live is the way they form their opinion about the Jesus of the Bible.

So the question that needs to be asked is this: Does your life serve as an example that encourages others to follow Jesus? Or will they turn away from Him after watching you?

Let me make something perfectly clear: I am not speaking about living a perfect life. Only Jesus did that. We live every aspect of our lives imperfectly; we all do things we ought not do . . . say things we ought not say . . . and think things we ought not think. But what I am talking about is manifesting a consistent desire to live a life that is pleasing to God, even though we know that life will not be perfect on this side of the grave.

Peter’s life was far from perfect. He was impulsive and frequently spoke when he should have been listening. He denied our Lord three times and was later rebuked by Paul for refusing to eat with Gentile Christians (Galatians 2:11-14). And yet in spite of his many failures, the life Peter lived serves as a wonderful example of what it means to live for nothing smaller than Jesus, even while living it imperfectly.

Every great saint in Scripture and in the history books has their share of blemishes and warts which all the world can see. But those blemishes just make them more real to us. And even if others don’t see our own short-comings, we know they are there. We know when we do not measure up to Jesus’ standard of perfection; we are painfully aware that we fail to measure up several times each day. But in spite of our many imperfections, God has chosen us to put the Gospel on display for a watching world. Remember, God uses imperfect people because they are all He has to use!

So . . . have you considered what kind of example you set for those who are watching you? When you mess it up—and you will—confess your sin and ask for forgiveness from God and those you may have offended or hurt. Then get on with life and live it, asking God for the grace to live each day for His glory and for the good of others.

Everyone is an example; what kind of example are you?

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

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. (Mark 2:1-4)

Every time I read this passage I wrestle with two questions: First, do I have any sold-out friends like that . . . people who would rip a hole in someone’s roof to get me in front of Jesus? Second, am I a sold-out friend like that to anyone in my life right now? Would I refuse to be denied in bringing my friends before Jesus?

Powerful questions, don’t you think? How would you answer them?

Sold-out saints have a way of making things happen for the good of others and the glory of God. They simply refuse to be denied. Blocked doors do not keep them out. Crowded rooms do not cause them to shy away. And if they cannot bring someone to Jesus by the ordinary way that has been set before them, they simply make a new way! They do not stop until they get before our Lord.

When Luke delivered his account of these events, he wrote: “When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd” (Luke 5:19). What great risk these men took to get their paralyzed friend before the Christ! Just the sound of them on the roof would have drawn the attention of those in the home. Then when they started digging and tearing away at the roof tiles, everyone below would be looking up as dust and pieces of the roof began to cascade down into the room below. I would imagine that the owner of the home would have been looking up with indignant anger!

I cannot think of any better phrase than “sold-out saints” to describe the men in this gospel account. They let nothing stand in the way of getting their friend an audience with Jesus. And how did Jesus respond?

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Then Jesus said, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (Mark 2:5, 11)

Their sold-out faith not only brought their friend physical healing, but spiritual healing as well. So the question I want to leave you with today is this: Do you have the kind of sold-out faith that would tear through roof tiles to get someone you know before the Savior of the world? May that be the confession of all our lives as we look for opportunities to bless those God has put into our lives . . . and may we do it for the praise of the glory of His name!

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

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

I long ago lost count of how many times people have told me during pastoral counseling sessions that the temptations they are dealing with are sin. And each time they tell me that, I reply, “Not true!” Jesus was tempted. The author of the letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). We are all tempted. Temptation is simply a part of living in a fallen and broken world. So being tempted is not sinful; it is giving in to that temptation that is sin. And who reading this right now does not know this truth by way of personal experience?

So what is the key to fighting against the temptations we all face? Perhaps there is no better section in all of sacred Scripture that can strengthen us when we are facing temptation than the wilderness experience of our Lord Jesus Christ. After forty days of fasting, the devil came to Jesus and tempted Him—not once, but three times. And each time Jesus dealt with the temptations of the devil the same way: with Scripture. With each temptation, Jesus used Scripture to strengthen His resolve not to be overtaken by temptation . . . and also to put the devil to flight!

It is important to note one thing in the encounter between Jesus and the devil in the wilderness: both quoted Scripture. Both Jesus and the devil know the Word of God; they are both students of Scripture. They were both in the Word of God, but there was one great difference between Jesus and the devil. Inasmuch as both were in the Word of God, the Word of God was only in Jesus. You see, it’s not enough to simply know and be able to quote Scripture. We must be submitted and surrendered to its authority and rule in our lives.

So . . . what temptations have you been wrestling with lately . . . in your personal life . . . in your professional life? Again, I encourage you to remember that temptation is not sin; giving in to the temptation is. The more we get into the Word of God, the more the Word of God will get into us, and the better we will be able to resist the temptations that inevitably will come to us.

One final thing: when temptation does overtake you, remember the cross. Jesus has already paid for that sin and you have already been forgiven for that sin. Yes, grieve over your sin. Be filled with a godly sorrow, confess your sin to the Lord, and repent of your sin. But never forget, nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus—not Satan nor your sin . . . nor even any sins you may commit in the future (Romans 8:38-39). Now that is a powerful promise.

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