Ephesians 2:4-7 (ESV) 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
I should go to hell because I earned the trip. I know its true but I forget. I think of myself as a pretty good guy; a whole lot better than many others. I haven't killed anybody; at least physically. I am fairly nice to most people. I pay my taxes, obey most of the traffic laws and get along with my neighbors. And sometimes, when I am really full of myself, I think God is really lucky to have me.
That is certainly not looking at myself as I really am. I am like the person who has a clear conscience simply because he has a terrible memory.
I was dead in my sins. I could not respond to God's Spirit. I was bound for hell. I had no hope. I had no ability to save myself and, God in His surpassing mercy came to me. His grace was lavished upon me.
Sometimes people tell me that they aren't coming back to church because someone at church hurt them. That is like saying, "I'm going to beat myself until you treat me better." The church is part of God's grace. It exists because of God's love toward us. It is a privilege to attend, to serve, to worship, to pray and to give. When will people realize that they are not doing God a favor by showing up at church? When will they realize that they should look at church as a privilege?
Years ago I was doing a wedding in the backyard of one of the mansions in Nashville. The guests had gotten into the refreshments before the ceremony began. They were drinking beer while sitting in the white wooden folding chairs and I got mad. I didn't want people drinking at what I considered a worship service. I immediately started griping at God. I even imagined turning over the beverage tables in my self righteousness.
I will never forget what God said to me when I finally took a breath from my griping. He said, "These are the people I have sent you to!" That certainly shut me up!
You see, the problem was that I had forgotten that God saved me while I was still in my sins. I forgot that I wasn't, and still am not, perfect. I forgot how God had invited someone who should be glad that he was getting a seat at the table himself. I forgot how fortunate I am to be called out of my sins and to be called to be a part of reaching out with the love of God to others. Frankly, I forgot that people are supposed to see a "little Christ" in me.
So, I am overwhelmed by His grace to me. I could still be in my sins. I could still be hopeless. I could be on my own in my journey to eternity. But His love has given me Jesus.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound!
1 comment:
"That is certainly not looking at myself as I really am. I am like the person who has a clear conscience simply because he has a terrible memory." I like this!
"I was dead in my sins. I could not respond to God's Spirit. I was bound for hell. I had no hope. I had no ability to save myself and, God in His surpassing mercy came to me. His grace was lavished upon me." This indeed is the key thing about salvation grace. A believer can NEVER have come into salvation without God first "opening the door of understanding of spiritual matters to him".
Paul wrote in 1 Cor 2:14, this: "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."
A non-believer is without the Spirit of God; only a believer is with the Spirit of God (indwelling him). So, the first move is always by God, and that is why it is always a grace of God with regard to entry into salvation. A non-believer or sinner is dead spiritually; he CANNOT understand, it is the Holy Spirit of God who has to give understanding to the person (or opens the door of spiritual understanding, so to speak), in regard to salvation, concerning the message of the Gospel.
1. It is amazing that despite Man's disobedience - disobeyed a direct and specific prohibitive command of God (Gen 2:16-17), God still wanted to save Man.
2. It is amazing that God would give His one and only begotten Son to die for us (John 3:16).
3. It is even more amazing that God would only give the understanding, but does NOT generally force a person to believe the Gospel message! For salvation is a decision; a decision you have to make (believe in your heart and confess with your mouth – Rom 20:9), having been given the understanding by the Spirit of God, to believe the Gospel for what it is:
a. That God loves you enough;
b. That the redemptive work of Jesus is enough to switch you from a journey to Hell to a journey to Life, and
c. That all you need to do is to follow Jesus.
Of the 3 amazing aspects of the Amazing Grace of God I have mentioned, which do you find most amazing? For me, the last is most amazing - Jesus already died for one, and yet God does NOT generally force one to accept it!
"These are the people I have sent you to!" We (NOT just Ps Prentis, all of us, believers) are to preach the Gospel; We just need to let the spiritual truth out, and let the Spirit of God to do His job (and He does, do His job {He neither sleep nor slumber!}, we just do ours, and leave Him to do His), to render spiritual understanding; whether or NOT a person comes to Christ, ultimately it is a decision the person has to make; and that is what so amazing about the amazing grace of God.
Love is a choice, if it is forced, it is NOT love.
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