Grace for the Race

[Jacob]l said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.” (Genesis 48:11)

When was the last time you received an unexpected blessing from God? In today’s passage, we catch a glimpse of a blessing that was as unexpected by Jacob as it was unimaginable.

If you remember the remarkable story of Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, you know that his brothers, seething with jealousy, sold Joseph into slavery and told their father Jacob that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. In an act of shocking, depraved deception, the brothers actually presented Jacob with Joseph’s multicolored coat, which they had splattered with blood from a goat they had killed, as “proof” of Joseph’s death. Jacob was completely convinced that he would never see Joseph again on this side of the grave, and grieved the loss of his son. But many years later, Jacob did see Joseph again; not only that, but he also met his grandsons, whom he hadn’t even known existed!

Our God is in the business of blessing His children immeasurably more than all we ask or even imagine (Ephesians 3:20). Even in seasons of terrible loss, God is working all things for our gain, even when we cannot see that gain at present. God never stops working on behalf of His children, even when it looks like He has.

I must be careful to point out that Jacob’s story does not represent a universal promise that when we suffer loss we should expect to receive back what we have lost. But what this story does teach us — along with many other stories throughout sacred Scripture — is to expect the unexpected.

God is always working for our good, but often what you and I think is “good” and the good God actually gives us is as far as the east is from the west. But we must keep in mind that when we do not receive the outcome we were hoping for, it is only because God has a better ending in store for us. We have a tendency to draw conclusions about what the end of the story should be when we are in the middle of it. But if we will trust God and allow Him to continue writing our story as we go through life — instead trying to snatch the pen out of His hand — we can entrust our heartache into His tender, loving, nail-scarred hands.  

Where does this message find you today? Are you riding the crest of a wave of victory? Or are you being pulled under by the remorseless undertow of challenge? Regardless of your current circumstances, you can be certain that God loves you with an eternal love and wants to bless you in ways you simply cannot imagine.

Take this truth with you into the rest of your life. And as you look to Jesus to meet you in your place of deepest need, Christian, expect the unexpected. You can be sure that God’s unexpected will be infinitely and eternally better than anything we might expect.    

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

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. (Proverbs 16:3)

Life presents us with two choices at every moment: We can either choose to follow God’s will for our lives or go our own way. The first way leads to fruitfulness; the second leads to fruitlessness. The choice is always ours.

King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived apart from Jesus, penned today’s proverb to offer us the key that unlocks the door leading to a life marked by faithfulness and fruitfulness. You can be sure that Solomon fully understood the importance of committing his plans to the Lord at the time he wrote these words. It was Solomon — not his father, David — whom God had tasked with building His Temple. Solomon built the Temple of God, and during this time he also built his life upon the Word of God. All was well in his life and in the lives of those living under his rule, because Solomon had chosen to follow God’s will rather than go his own way.

But as time went by, Solomon began to change. He married multiple wives, which was contrary to God’s ordained plan for marriage, and some of his wives did not know the Lord. Over time, these unbelieving women began to turn Solomon’s heart away from God and toward idol worship. More and more, Solomon did what was right in his own eyes. His affections were divided, and he failed to commit his whole heart to the Lord. So the Lord no longer established his plans.

It is important to see just how today’s passage is structured. You could read the verse like this: Commit your work to the Lord in order for the Lord to establish your plans. In other words, if we are not committing our work to the Lord, we have no reason to expect our Lord to establish our plans. On the other hand, when we align our work with God’s will in our lives, we can expect that God will give us good success in His perfect timing and in His perfect way.

We must remember that God’s blessings on our work is always according to His will, often in ways that far exceed our understanding. This means that “success” will not always look like what we expect. Yet the plans our Lord will establish in our lives will actually be our plans if we strive to live our lives in harmony with the revealed will of God. When we don’t get the results we were looking for, we always get something vastly better. When we commit to the Lord whatever we do, we can confidently leave the results up to God, trusting that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).

Have you been living a life marked by God’s will? Or are you merely following your own way? Remember, the size of the matter you commit to the Lord matters not. Whether big or small, commit your life to following the righteous plan and purpose of your Lord, and He will make your plans work to a worthy end.

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

On that day HOLY TO THE LORD will be inscribed on the bells of the horses. (Zechariah 14:20)

Sacred Scripture assures us that a day is coming when all things will be put right. The prophet Zechariah envisioned the consummation of the Kingdom of God, when all things will be made new, when all that has been ruined will be restored, and when even the bells on horses’ bridles shall toll forth the glorious, comforting, cosmic truth that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Zechariah was writing at a time when the people of God had returned from exile in Babylon to a Jerusalem that was only a distant, crumbled memory of its previous glory; both the city walls and the temple lay in ruins. But the Word of the Lord came to His prophet to let God’s people know that the current condition of the sacred city bore no resemblance to its future, consummated condition. A time is coming — “on that day”– when the heavens will rejoice, and the earth will be glad, the fields be jubilant, and everything in them, all the trees of the forest will sing for joy (Psalm 96:11-12), and even the bells of the horses shall toll the truth that God was, is, and forever will be on His throne, maintaining perfect, righteous control of all things.

Think about it this way: Even the common bells of the horses shall ring out the holiness of the Lord when Jesus returns, bringing with Him the Kingdom consummated. “On that day” all that was common shall be uncommon, because all will be consecrated unto the Lord. All our meals shall be sacraments to our Savior. All our clothes shall be vestments to our Christ. All our words shall be a witness of sweet-smelling incense rising up to heaven. And only to the extent that we believe this to be true will we align our lives with God’s truth, each and every day, and live all of life as unto the Lord, regardless of the cost or circumstance that may confront us.

Have you received God’s promise of future perfection? Are you living by faith according to this promise? If the bells of the horses shall be inscribed with the holiness of God, how much more shall the hearts of God’s people resound with the truth that has set us free to be all God has called us to be and to do all God has called us to do!

Christian, when all around you seems to be coming apart, remember the promise that God has made, which He will certainly bring to fruition in His perfect time. All will be made new and perfect and “Holy To The Lord” . . . and that includes you!  

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

He chose our inheritance for us. (Psalm 47:4)

Infinite wisdom has determined His “Inspired Inheritance” for us. He who formed us in the womb knows what is best, and He knows what is best for us. When we come to this understanding, we come to the place where we can rest in our redemption.

Left to our own devices, we would never choose our best destiny, either in this life or the next, because we make all our decisions with a thought process that is not only finite and fallible, but utterly fallen. In this case, the old saying is as true as it is timely: “Father knows best!” His thoughts are eternal, infallible, and true; His plan is to prosper us and to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). When we ask our heavenly Father to take the helm of our lives, we can rest assured that He will steer us into His perfect port of call.

Now notice two biblical truths:

1. Being the recipient of an Inspired Inheritance does not mean that God will never steer us into the storms of life. “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus warned (John 16:33). Our God has ordained storms to shape us and strengthen us for the ministry of service into which we have been called.
2. However, this does mean that God will be with us in the storm. Just like the disciples in the boat out on the sea when the storm winds arose, the Lord was with them, and He was in complete control of everything that was happening. The King of kings stilled the fierce storm with a word, and the disciples reached their intended destination in safety and with a deeper faith.

The inheritance we receive from our Lord is as intentional as it is inspired, and it is always delivered for two reasons: for God’s glory and for our good. I know from personal experience that this can be very difficult to see when we are in the middle of the storm. Some storms seem to pop up out of nowhere and wreak havoc in our lives, but the truth is that nothing just “pops up” in the life of the disciple of Christ. Not even a bird falls to the ground apart from His will (Matthew 10:29), and everything happens according to His perfect plan and purpose for our lives.

So regardless of where this message finds you today, let me ask you this question: Who would you rather have choosing your inheritance? Your Savior or yourself? As for me and my house, we want Jesus to choose for us. If today’s message finds you in a painful place, please remember that this did not happen by accident. God chose this for you, and He is working all things together for your absolute good, no matter how bad it feels right now. We must always remember to trust the hand of our God in all circumstances, even when we cannot trace Him.

Have you asked God to take the helm of your life today?

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

“When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’” (Luke 15:9)

In ancient Palestine, it was common for women to receive ten silver coins as a wedding present. These coins had both monetary value and sentimental value, much like a wedding ring would have today, so to lose even a single coin would be deeply distressing. The woman who had lost the coin would search everywhere until she found it. And our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that just as she would rejoice and celebrate with her friends when the missing coin was found, so too the angels in heaven rejoice and celebrate when one lost sinner repents and turns to God.

Here are a few things to take from this story that will both comfort and challenge you as a “Christian Coin” –

• We were lost because of our sin.
• We had no interest in being found.
• We were the object of a search by the One who wanted us.
• We were found by the One who searched for us.
• We were celebrated over by the One who found us.

Here is an important aspect to the story: Even though the woman still had nine coins in her possession, she went after that one lost coin and would not stop until she found it. God loves us so much and desires deeply for us to be in a right relationship with Him; therefore, regardless of how many other “coins” He has, He still goes after that one lost coin and will not rest until that coin has been found. Why? Because that single lost coin has true value in the eyes of God, and so does every lost sinner. And knowing the heart of the King of kings, the angels in heaven rejoice when even one of those sinner repents.

One final thought: There was a cost for the woman in finding her lost coin. “Does she not light a lamp,” Jesus asked rhetorically, “sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?” (Luke 15:8). First, to light a lamp would be costly simply because of the oil expended. Next, the woman would not merely glance here and there, but rather use a broom to sweep the whole house, searching diligently and intently until the coin was found. Remember, Jesus was making this point to the self-righteousness religious leaders who cared deeply about their own positions of power but showed no concern for those they considered to be unclean sinners. But our loving Lord Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and He paid the ultimate cost — His precious blood shed on a cross — in order to have them.

Let us this day join the angels and rejoice over all that God has done in our own lives and in the lives of others!

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

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

Our Lord Jesus Christ provides His sheep with a cosmic covering. To “cover,” at the deepest level of understanding, is to forgive and to forget, and only God has the ability to do that over and over and over again in our lives.

While Jesus hung on the cross He said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). He was speaking directly about those people who had nailed Him to that cruel cross! Once we have this truth firmly planted in our understanding, we can begin to live this forgiveness out in our lives with others, which is specifically what Peter was referring to in today’s passage. Peter was talking about interpersonal relationships on the horizontal level. Only as we are able to love others as Jesus has loved us – by forgiving as we have been forgiven – can we truly be considered His disciples. Because we have been given this cosmic covering of grace and mercy, we must be willing to offer it to others.

But what we must remember in our interpersonal relationships is the fact that love covers “a multitude” of sins — not all of them — and Paul makes this clear in the following ways:

• We are not to participate with others in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather we are to shed light on them (Ephesians 5:11).
• We are to separate ourselves from those who claim to be believers and still live immoral and destructive lives (1 Corinthians 5:11).
• We are to give a word of warning to those who are living idle and disruptive lives (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
• We are to bring restoration to anyone who has been caught in the snare of sin (Galatians 6:1).

The life of the believer is a life lived in the shadow of the cross, as we forgive and forbear, prayerfully trying, in our own sin-stained way, to emulate the forgiveness and forbearance of our loving Lord. Love does indeed cover a multitude of sins. Yet there are sins that must be addressed in love when someone’s sin is destructive to them or those around them. We have received a cosmic covering of the love of our Lord, and we are to express that love to others — deeply and from the heart.

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

He is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

Most of us are familiar with the biblical title, “The Prince of Peace,” which is often applied to Jesus and rooted in the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6. But there is another title that can be just as aptly applied to our Lord: “The Prince of Prayer.” One of the most neglected understandings of our Lord Jesus Christ in the church today is the continual intercession He is making in heaven on our behalf.

We have a tendency to focus primarily on what God in Christ has done for us in the past and what He has promised to do in the future, but many of us forget what Jesus is doing for us right now. To be sure, we should rejoice and give thanks that everything necessary for our salvation has already been accomplished — not by us but for us — through the sinless life, sacrificial death, and supernatural resurrection of Jesus Christ. All that work that Jesus completed on our behalf comes under the heading of our justification. But we must never forget that the work of our Lord is not finished when it comes to our sanctification — that is, our growing and maturing in our faith. That ongoing work comes under the heading of His intercession.

I want to be completely clear that this ongoing work of our Lord does not mean that anything related to our right standing before God was left unfinished. When we understand that Jesus is always making intercession for us, we are to see it as the application of what His atonement has accomplished. His intercession is a powerful picture of the fullness of His victory on the cross, because now that “It is finished” (John 19:30), He is able to intercede on our behalf that we may grow and mature and stand firm in our faith.

Here is something to remember that will provide both a comfort and a challenge: Just as Satan is continually accusing us and reminding us of our sins and shortcomings, Jesus is continually interceding for us, which means Satan’s accusations fall on “Divine Deaf Ears.” There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (Romans 8:1), and not until that truth seizes us will we be able to withstand the slings and arrows of the evil one.

One final point: Jesus is the One and Only Mediator between you and God; you need no other. The God-man has your back in any and every set of circumstances you may find yourself in. Oh, and Jesus also has your front, sides, and inside too, because Jesus is your Prince of Prayer who is continually making intercession for you. Rejoice, Christian! The One who died for you while you were yet a sinner (Romans 5:8) now lives to pray for you!!

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

“Ask and it will be given to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

The dictionary definition of the word audacious can be both positive and negative. On the negative side, it can mean reckless and inappropriate; on the positive side, it means a willingness to take bold risks, and I believe that is exactly what Jesus had in mind when He commanded us to come into His presence and “ask.”

What have you been asking Jesus for lately?

The Bible is full of examples of God’s people practicing audacious asking for a variety of different reasons. Here are just a few examples:

“Show me your glory” (Moses in Exodus 33:18).

“Enlarge my borders” (Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10).

“Rabbi, I want to see” (The blind man in Mark 10:51).

“My daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her” (Jairus in Mark 5:23).

People often tell me that they find audacious asking difficult to do. They offer many reasons for their reluctance: Some have been convinced that God is not that interested in showing up in a big way in their lives. Others are fearful that God’s answer will be “No” and their faith will be crushed. Still others are not sure their audacious asking would actually be the will of God for their lives. If this describes you in any way — or perhaps there are other reasons circulating in your mind right now — take a moment to marinate in these words from Jesus.

“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a serpent? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)

Jesus was teaching His disciples about prayer, and here He made a profound statement that has encouraged me many times over the years to ask audaciously: “How much more.” Jesus reminds us that earthly fathers, though flawed and sinful, still try to do what is best for their children. How much more will our perfect Father in heaven treat all of His children well and how much more does He desire that we come into His presence with big, bold, and audacious prayers? Jesus paints a powerful picture of a God who not only allows “audacious asking,” He expects it, He invites it, and He is ready, willing, and able to answer, no matter how audacious our request seems to be.

Remember, if what we are asking audaciously is not His will, He will not give it to us. The bottom line is that audacious asking is not so much about His answer, but rather it is about our attitude. Our audacious asking demonstrates both our great need and the greatness of our God, because all things are possible with Him.

What do you need to ask of your God today? Ask and it will be given to you . . . either what you asked for or something immeasurably more than all you could have asked or imagined (Ephesians 3:20).

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

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper.” (John 14:15)

With only a few hours left to complete His earthly ministry before going to the cross, Jesus made an amazing promise to His disciples, both then and now: “Help is on the way.” But wait; Jesus was about to leave His disciples and return to His Father in heaven, so how in the world could this promise be true?

The Help that Jesus promised is none other than the third person of the Holy Trinity. Jesus assured all His followers that when He returned to His throne in heaven we would not be left alone, because He would send His Holy Spirit to dwell within us (John 16:7). He repeated this promise immediately before His Ascension: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8).

We must never forget that this power that has been promised to us is a Person who will comfort and counsel us, guide and govern us, love us and lead us, protect us and provide for us; rebuke and restore us. For all those who place their trust in Christ alone for salvation, Help is always on the way. In some English translations, the Greek word parakletos is rendered as “Counselor,” rather than “Helper.” Both words should be a source of great encouragement to you and me. Our Helper-Counselor is the very presence of God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, who has promised to go before us, go behind us, go beside us, and most importantly, go within us. We are able to appropriate this all-powerful Helper by faith to cause us to live a life that is pleasing to God and beneficial to all those with whom we come in contact.

Here is an important biblical point to remember about our Helper: Beginning at Pentecost (Acts 2), the Holy Spirit has been poured out on all believers in the exact same amount. It is unbiblical to believe that some believers are endowed with a greater measure of the Holy Spirit after having reached some supposed higher level of spirituality. This simply is not true, and such thinking sets up a dividing wall within the body of Christ. There are no “super-spiritual saints” in the body of Christ; the ground is level at the foot of the cross. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13), and we are all equally endowed with the same gift of the Holy Spirit.

To be sure, the Holy Spirit has been active from before the beginning of time; Genesis 1:2 tells us that the Spirit hovered over the waters that covered the earth prior to creation. Throughout the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was on the move in the lives of many. But after Pentecost, the full measure of the Holy Spirit has been poured out on every Christian believer . . . and that includes you.

Have you been living in the power of your promised Helper? Remember, the best way to get to know someone is to spend time with him. Spend time with your Helper by staying in the Word and on your knees. Whatever help you are in need of today, you will receive it from the Helper who is with you and had promised to never leave nor forsake you.

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

He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. (Mark 8:23-25)

Mark’s account of the healing of the blind man brings a question to mind for many of us: Why did Jesus heal the man in a two-step process? The Gospel accounts often show Jesus healing with just a word (Luke 18:35), healing instantly (Mark 1:42), even healing from a distance (John 4:50). So why did Jesus engage in a protracted healing of this man? Could it be that Jesus was teaching us a deeper lesson on physical and spiritual healing, showing us that restoration can (and often does) take time in our lives? We cannot answer with certainty because Scripture does not tell us, but we do know that our Lord’s method of healing this blind man was both intentional and purposeful, for the Word of God does not return to Him empty (Isaiah 55:11). Surely that gives us something to think about, wouldn’t you agree?

We can be sure that the first part of the healing Jesus administered did not fall short of the intended goal of a total restoration of the man’s sight. So again I ask, why the two-step process in healing this blind man when all Jesus needed to do was simply speak sight back into this man? I believe that this account provides another wonderful example of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth being put on display in Scripture. This is nothing more and nothing less than an historical account of the life and ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we read biblical narratives like this, we should be strengthened in our confident belief that we are reading faithfully true eyewitness testimony of what happened. For those skeptics who write the Bible off as a collection of myths, these stories provide a powerful response to such objections.

In closing, let me give you one more thing to think about. When Jesus asked the man what he saw after his first stage of healing, the man responded that he saw people who “look like trees walking around.” I believe that the Spirit of God wants us to understand that until we are completely healed of our spiritual blindness — a healing which will not be completed on this side of the grave — none of us can see with anything close to perfect clarity. I often remind our congregation that there is only One who speaks from Sinai; the rest of us are flawed and sinful. We all have some parts of our theology wrong, and we will only fully understand the truth when we cross the Jordan and stand in His presence. Until then, we must remember that we are all afflicted with spiritual myopia; our understanding is distorted, and we see the Scriptures, ourselves, and those around us “like trees walking around.”

When we keep this biblical understanding in view, we are more likely to be kind, compassionate, and loving to those who may not see things like we see them. Now that is something to think about!

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