Grace for the Race

By nature, we all have a bit of “Thomas” in us. You remember how Thomas doubted the disciples when they told him they had seen the resurrected Lord Jesus? There was a simple reason for his doubt; what Thomas believed in died on the cross, and his heart was absolutely crushed under the weight of losing his Lord. He simply refused to risk having his heart broken even more by believing without seeing.

I think Thomas gets a bad rap when he is remembered as “Doubting Thomas.” Recall that it was Thomas who took the lead when Jesus was leaving for Judea to raise Lazarus from the dead; “Let us also go,” Thomas said to the disciples, “that we may die with [Jesus]” (John 11:16). Also remember that Thomas made one of the greatest professions of faith ever uttered by man:

Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 

(John 20:24-28)

You and I are faced with circumstances that test our faith on a regular basis. Those circumstances confront us with two choices: trust or doubt. Trust and doubt simply cannot coexist. When doubt enters in, faith flees. When faith is firm, doubt disappears.

Satan loves it when we doubt. Doubt is the key that unlocks the doorway leading to all sorts of debilitating emotions, like fear, worry, anger, and apathy. Before long, doubt will carry us to a place we don’t want to be in and don’t even know how we got there. But this is not for you!

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed.

(Romans 4:18)

Make no mistake, Abraham was not perfect in his belief. He obviously doubted God when he tried to pass his wife off as his sister to save his own skin—not once, but twice. You and I are like Abraham: everything we do, we do imperfectly.

But here is the critical question: What marks your life most: doubt or trust?

Peter doubted Jesus when he denied Him three times on the night Jesus was betrayed. Later, we read in the book of Acts that Peter struggled with doubt again, and was rebuked by Paul when Peter refused to eat with Gentiles for fear of offending Jewish believers (Galatians 2:11-12). But Peter’s life was marked not by doubt, but by trust. Tradition tells us that when he was crucified for proclaiming his Christian faith, he asked his executioners to nail him to the cross upside-down, stating that he was not worthy to die in the same way as his Lord.

So . . . where in your life are you dealing with doubt right now—personally or professionally? Wherever doubt is disrupting your forward progress in life, take it to your Lord in prayer and marinate in His Word. Don’t think anything strange is happening to you when doubt comes knocking on your door; it happens to all of us! The key is to identify doubt and deal with it; don’t let it take root! Use all the means of grace God has given to you—godly friends, church attendance, prayer, daily devotion, service, fasting, etc.—to dispel your doubt and build your belief.

The better view you have of your Lord—like the one Thomas had the night Jesus showed up—the less you will doubt and the more you will trust!

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

The Bible instructs us to examine ourselves . . . and that is good instruction! Why? Because if we aren’t careful, we can fool ourselves into thinking we are something that we are not. Far better to examine ourselves and see exactly what is going on, just like Asaph in the following verse:

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you. Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel.

(Psalm 73:22-24)

Now that is a serious self-examination, wouldn’t you agree? After taking an honest look inside his heart, Asaph compared himself with a “brute beast” before the face of God. Clearly, Asaph had not succumbed to thinking of himself more highly than he ought (Romans 12:3)! And notice how the comparison he made is rooted in a heart that was beating for something smaller than God. Asaph’s heart was “grieved,” which means his focus was down and in, rather than up and out. Like a brute beast who is always looking down toward the ground, Asaph was consumed with his circumstances rather than his God.

Yet even in his self-described bestial condition, Asaph knew that God was with Him every step of the way. He knew it was God who was upholding him and leading him through the troubled waters of life. Asaph declared his cosmic confidence in the Lord God Omnipotent; Asaph was as confident in God’s presence with him as he was confident in God’s counsel for him.

But notice something very important in the verse above: Asaph declared that “I am always with you!” How could that be possible for someone who admitted that he was in the condition of a brute beast—a creature of instinct (2 Peter 2:12) and not of faith? The answer is simple: it was God who was keeping them together.

Remember, it is not your faithfulness to God that keeps you connected to Him; rather, it is His faithfulness to you. Regardless of your current condition, you can echo Asaph and say, “I am always with you,” because God is the One who never moves. He holds tightly to your hand when you are spiritually sound and when your spirit is embittered Him. You should have no fear in examining your heart each day and admitting to God exactly what you are going through. God is not only for you, He is with you and will never walk away from you . . . even when you are “senseless and ignorant”!

Wherever this finds you today, rest assured that Almighty God loves you; and, as John wrote, “Perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). So lift your eyes toward heaven and focus your mind and heart on Jesus! Don’t fear the results of your self-examination, because regardless of what you discover—even if you see a faithless brute beast staring back at you from the mirror of self-reflection—Jesus is always with you: holding you, guiding you, counseling you, and loving you all the way into glory. How amazing is His grace!

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

When was the last time you thought about heaven? Do you ever wonder what it will be like? Well, the psalmist paints the perfect picture of what heaven will be like then, and what heaven is like right now, right were this finds you.

God, our God!

(Psalm 67:6)

Notice the psalmist doesn’t stop with the single word God, but he continues to exult, “our God!” This is heaven then and this is heaven now. Knowing that God is our God is to know a truth that is as comforting as it is encouraging.

The comfort in “our God” is cosmic in proportion! It is a comfort in seasons of plenty and want . . . in times of health and sickness . . . in moments of joy and anguish. It is to know that were we are, He is! And that is the definition of heaven: being in the presence of our God.

Have you ever stopped to consider the encouragement from knowing this truth? To know God as “our God” is to know that . . .

• God is strength in your weakness
• God is calm in your storm
• God is light in your darkness
• God is wisdom in your doubt
• God is peace in your dark night of the soul 

Remember, heaven is heaven only because our God is there. There is a story of an old saint lying on his deathbed; he was asked how he would feel, after decades of talking about Jesus and spending eternity with Him in heaven, if he woke up in hell. He responded with a smile: “My God promised never to leave me nor forsake me. So if I wake up in hell, I know that Jesus will be there and it will be heaven to me!”

Sadly, so few in the church today understand the truth the psalmist knew by way of personal experience. God seems distant and far off to them because they have not appropriated the Almighty.

What does that mean . . . to appropriate the Almighty?

Appropriate: to take to or for oneself; take possession of

Here is how the 19^th century prince of preachers, Charles Spurgeon, framed out what the psalmist is telling us:

It is strange how little use we make of the spiritual blessings which God gives us, but it is stranger still how little use we make of God Himself. Though He is “our own God,” we apply ourselves but little to Him, and ask but little of Him. How seldom do we ask counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our business, without seeking His guidance! In our troubles how constantly do we strive to bear our burdens ourselves, instead of casting them upon the Lord, that He may sustain us! This is not because we may not, for the Lord seems to say, “I am yours, come and make use of me as you will; you may freely come to my store, and the oftener the more welcome.”

If heaven is the presence of God, the question that needs to be asked is, “Are you experiencing heaven today?” If not, why not? Appropriate the Almighty in every area of life, and the place you occupy on this earth will be heaven to you!

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

It is one thing to know about the Lord Jesus Christ; it is another thing altogether to know about Him intimately. It is to have the same kind of experience that Job, the Old Testament man of faith, had with his God.

My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

(Job 42:5)

What an incredible difference between hearing about God with our ears and seeing God with our eyes! The first engages the intellect; the second engenders intimacy. And the difference between these two levels of knowing God makes all the difference in the world, especially when we are being buffeted by the storm winds of life, as Job was after having lost his health, his wealth, and all of his children.

Job lived according to the law of God. Scripture describes him as “blameless and upright,” a man who “feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1). Job served God with all of his heart and raised his children to do the same. Job knew about as much as you could know about God. His intellect was saturated with the truth of God, and about God, but it was not until the savage storm winds blew his way that Job had an intimate encounter with the living God. Job went from “ears hearing” to “eyes seeing” . . . and that made all the difference in the world! Job had finally come face-to-face with the living God and he was changed forever.

The church today is filled with far too many who know the truth of God without knowing the God of truth. And this leaves them wanting with the storm winds begin blowing their way. But this is not for you!

To go from intellect to intimacy is to go from reading the Word of God to marinating in the Word of God. To go from intellect to intimacy is to go from corporate worship to worshiping corporately. And this is what God wants from all of us. He does not delight in what we do, but rather, in why we do it. If we read the Word of God simply to check it off our things-to-do-list for the day, we will miss our encounter with God. If we show up to church just to keep our names active on the rolls, our relationship with God will remain cold and distant.

Remember, Jesus didn’t die to make you good—so that you would read your Bible and go to church. He died to make you His. He wants you—all of you—both your head and your heart. He wants an intimate personal loving relationship with you, and He wants it now!

You don’t have to wait for the storm winds to begin blowing. You can fall on your knees and cry out for the intimacy God has called you to experience. Then you will go from your ears hearing of God to your eyes seeing Him . . . and your heart experiencing Him moment by moment.

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

It never ceases to amaze me just how much Perfection (that’s God) loves imperfection (that’s us). And no one knew this truth better than the apostle Paul.

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 3:10-14)

The religious leaders who lived at the time of Paul believed themselves to be perfect in every way. They would thank God that their behavior was perfect, and that they were not like other men—sinners in need of a Savior. Paul thought this way too . . . when he was Saul. But after his Damascus Road encounter with the risen Lord, Paul understood this truth: Perfect people need not apply!

When Paul wrote, “I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it” he was talking about the state of perfection. He freely and frankly acknowledged that he was far from that mark. But notice the key Paul used to unlock the door leading in the direction of the calling God had placed in his life. He knew forward progress would only be achieved by forgetting his past—a past littered with horrible sins directed at God’s people. Learning from the past and not living in the past, Paul was able to press on in the direction God was calling him to go, even in his own imperfection.

Paul pressed on imperfectly in the direction Perfection was calling. Paul preached imperfectly; Paul pastored imperfectly; Paul ministered imperfectly. Yet Paul did all of it passionately and he did it all for the glory of God. Paul understood the truth that God uses imperfect people, simply because that’s all God has to use. We all have imperfect pasts, and we all live in imperfect presents. And during our time on this earth we will live in imperfect futures! And that’s OK, because we were created to live life not in our imperfect strength, but rather in God’s perfect strength. We are being made perfect for our existence in the new heavens and the new earth, not this one!

So let me ask you a question: Is there anything in your past that is keeping you from advancing in the direction of your promised future? If so, you should simply follow the example of the apostle Paul: forget the past and focus on the present.

Just a cursory glance through the Scriptures reveals just how imperfect all the great saints of God truly were. Abraham lied about his wife being his sister to save his own skin. David slept with another man’s wife and then arranged for that man to be killed. Peter denied even knowing Jesus—not once, but three times on the night Jesus was betrayed. All of these imperfect people were called by Perfection to advance the cause of the Kingdom of God.

You, too, have been called to do the very same thing: press on toward the goal!

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

Full plates . . . spinning at high speeds . . . can keep us so focused on ourselves that we hardly notice others around us and their pressing needs.

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?

(James 2:15-16)

As we can see from James, self-absorption is NOT a good thing. Knowing that the Gospel meets both spiritual needs and physical needs, we must continually be on the lookout for those God brings into our lives who have those needs, so that we may be the hands and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ to them.

When Jesus was instructing His disciples about how the watching world around them would know whose they are, He said it would be by their love (John 13:35)—not self-love—but love for God (our vertical relationship) and love for others (our horizontal relationships).

So . . . how have you been doing lately at loving others around you? Here is a quick self-examination that may help us to better help others.

FULL PLATES

We all have full plates when it comes to matters of personal, relational, and professional responsibilities. But perhaps we are the ones who have heaped them so full, not God. One way to find out is to see if we are constantly pushing the stuff on our plates around (like a child who doesn’t want to eat what is on the plate) and never really accomplishing much in any particular area.

Remember, God will only give us assignments that we can actually handle (in His strength), which means that He will only put on our plates what He actually wants us to do . . . for His glory and the good of others.

SPINNING AT HIGH SPEEDS

High speed plate-spinning is a technique we have learned over time. The faster we keep our plates spinning, the more likely our plates will stay up in the air and not come crashing to the ground. However, we rarely manage to actually complete the activities on our plates when they are spinning at such high speeds. They just go round and round and round.

So what is the solution? First, we need to take our plates to God and prayerfully consider what is actually on them and who actually put all that “stuff” on our plates. Next, when we identify those things that we put there and not God, we must have the strength to get rid of them. And finally, we must slow the frantic spinning down a bit. When we slow down, our ability to focus on others will speed up.

Remember, the goal in life is to expand the cause of God’s kingdom, not our own. James went on to say in the second chapter of his epistle: “You have faith. I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” Whatever God is calling you to do in the lives of others right now, here is my encouragement to you: JUST DO IT!

You’ll be glad you did.

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

Did you know that you are the object of our Lord’s affection? Through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, you have—by grace through faith—become an object of Divine Delight.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

(Ephesians 1:3-6 NKJV)

Could there be any greater proof that you are the object of Divine Delight than to be one who is “accepted in the Beloved?” Think about that for a moment! You—you, a sinner who has broken God’s perfect, Holy Law more times in the last week alone than you could possibly remember or even realize—have been made acceptable in God’s sight.

To be sure, “every spiritual blessing” expands well beyond the borders of our minds. You are an object of . . .

• Divine love
• Divine mercy
• Divine grace
• Divine acceptance
• Divine affection
• Divine forgiveness

That list could stretch for pages. Spend some time in the Psalms, and you’ll see what I mean! And remember, this is about you right now, right where you are at this point in your life, you’re a sinner in need of a Savior every day. God knows the strongholds Satan has erected in life. God knows the shortcomings in your personality. God knows your sinful thoughts. God knows how you’re self-centered. God knows it all, and yet, unbelievably, you are still “accepted in the Beloved.”

The One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever never wavers from His love and commitment to you. You are accepted even when you do some things that are . . . well, UNACCEPTABLE! Let that truth set you free! You are free from past guilt . . . free from present fear . . . free from future uncertainties and doubts.

Armed with this truth, you may advance confidently in the direction God is calling you to go. Remember, God does not call the equipped; He simply equips the called. God will give you everything you need to do all He is calling you to do. And don’t forget this: God goes with you every step of the way. He goes before you, behind you, alongside of you—and, most importantly, within you.

To know that you are “accepted in the Beloved” is to know a truth that simply cannot be overcome by any lie Satan tries to sow into your life. Even those who have already passed on into glory are no more “accepted in the Beloved” than you are right now. You are His Divine Delight!

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

When was the last time you sensed the silence of heaven? You have lifted your prayers to the throne room of Grace, but you feel like no one is listening. Well, I have a word of incredible encouragement for you today from the conversion experience of Saul (Paul).

In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

(Acts 9:10-12)

There is great comfort in the words “He is praying,” wouldn’t you agree? God noticed Saul’s prayer immediately. And He notices your prayers immediately too!

There is no delay in your access to the Almighty. In fact, even before you utter a single word, God knows exactly what you are going to ask for and what you actually need (Psalm 139:4). The reason we sometimes feel that our prayers are bouncing off the ceiling is because of the delay in the answer. There are those times when God answers our prayer with an immediate “YES.” However, there are also those occasions when His answer to us is “NO” . . .  or “WAIT.” God alone knows what is best for His children, and He knows exactly when to deliver it.

So . . . what have you been praying for lately? When the response is not immediate, just remember that your God is working out His perfect plan in your imperfect life—in His timing, not yours.

Charles Spurgeon put it this way in his devotional, Morning and Evening:

Prayer is never out of season: in summer and in winter its merchandize is precious. Prayer gains audience with heaven in the dead of night, in the midst of business, in the heat of noonday, in the shades of evening. In every condition, whether of poverty, or sickness, or obscurity, or slander, or doubt, your covenant God will welcome your prayer and answer it from His holy place. Nor is prayer ever futile. True prayer is evermore true power. You may not always get what you ask, but you shall always have your real wants supplied. When God does not answer His children according to the letter, He does so according to the spirit.

Prayer is never futile, as Mr. Spurgeon said. You have Almighty access to your Father in heaven 24/7 – 365 days a year – and 366 days on leap year! Like any good father, God desires to hear from you. There is never a bad time to commune with the Father.

Go to Him now! Tell Him what is burdening your heart today . . . and use words if necessary. Remember, He collects your tears in His bottle (Psalm 56:8) and loves you infinitely beyond what words can ever express.

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

The inertia of sin continually pulls us toward self and away from our Savior. But when Jesus shows up, our lives begin to assume the shape of the cross, both vertically —loving God—and horizontally—serving others.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

(Isaiah 58:6-7)

When Adam and Eve turned away from God they not only denied their humanity, they derailed their calling. And what was their calling from God? To expand the borders of their lives to the boundaries of God’s kingdom. They were to be cultural caretakers; they had been given the awesome privilege of caring for everything God had created. But sin changed all that. Instead of being other-oriented, they began living for themselves. They pursued their goals. They chased after their dreams. They were determined to accomplish their agenda. They shrank the size of their lives down to the size of their lives . . . and that is how we all live by nature.

Even after Jesus takes His rightful place on the throne of our lives, sin still has a tendency to atrophy our commitment to God and arrest our concern for others, just like the Israelites Isaiah was addressing in the passage above. Instead of loving God and serving others, they were busily engaged in demonstrating how “religious” they were. Their primary focus was inward, not upward and outward. As the children of God, they had to be reminded of their purpose in this world, which was the very same purpose Adam and Eve had: to put God’s steadfast love on display by caring for all that He created.

God wants all of us to be other-oriented. He wants us to put the Gospel on display and make Him attractive. And that can only be done when we expand the borders of our lives back to the boundaries of God’s creation. We are to live each day for the expansion of God’s kingdom, not our own. When we are living for God’s kingdom, we begin impacting the lives of those around us. His concern becomes our concern; what breaks God’s heart breaks our hearts.

This level of living means we often get involved in things that don’t personally impact our own little lives. Why? Because we are living for something bigger than ourselves. We are living for the glory of God and the good of others, regardless of whether it meets the needs of our own self-interest. Only those who are other-oriented experience this kind of transcendent living.

Let me encourage you with a closing word from C. S. Lewis:

If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you will get neither.

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

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Your past deliverance should produce present devotion, because what God did for you back then, He will do again.

Even as a boy, David knew this truth by way of personal experience:

David said moreover, “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”

(1 Samuel 17:37)

David believed that his past deliverances provided irrefutable proof of God’s present and future deliverances. Do you know this truth? David knew it so well that he did not hesitate to meet the giant Goliath in battle.

Think about the times your God has delivered you out of the paw of the lion and of the bear. . .

• Burdens at school
• Troubles at the office
• Parenting prodigals
• Difficulties at home
• Relationship challenges
• Financial reversals
• Health issues

When you give it some thought, such a list of difficulties and heartaches could easily fill this blog! Yet in spite of the numerous troubles and trials which beset us, all those who are, by grace through faith, in Christ can rest assured that every promise of God is “yes and amen” in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Here is one thing you and I must keep in view: God is the one who defines the deliverance. His deliverance is guaranteed, but it may not always look like we want it to! Deliverance sent by the hand of God may even be found in a crushing defeat, simply because God was in it with us. Only God knows what is best for us, and He will deliver it to us, regardless of the cost or circumstance.

The lion, the bear, and the Philistine will always be different. The attacks, challenges, and problems we face always take different forms. But our God will always be the same, and He is with us in every battle. The key is to remember what David remembered about the strength he would be fighting the giant in. The giant David faced was big; David’s God was bigger. David knew that God would give him everything he needed in order for victory to be won.

So regardless of what the world throws against you with today—whether sword, spear, or javelin . . . or a layoff, terrible test result, or tax audit—remember that your deliverance will come because you fight in the name of the Most High God. Let every remembrance of past deliverance move you to a deeper and stronger daily devotion to your God!

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