Gritty Grace...

Romans 3:20-24 "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

I just read an article that reminded me about the necessity of grace in relationships. Here's the link - copy and paste in your browser - & please read: http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2012/december-online-only/going-to-hell-with-ted-haggard.html


It's my personal belief that the grace of God is gritty. In other words, it doesn't mind getting it's hands dirty. When we discover the relentless pursuit of God in our lives, the unconditional love that He has displayed, and the demonstration of that love upon the Cross...how can the grace of God be any different?

There's a couple of points that came out of the article in particular that we need to give serious consideration to:

- "It's amazing how much more mercy I give to people who struggle with sins I understand. The further their sin is from my own personal struggles, the more judgmental and callous I become."

- "'Every time you talk to me about God, you explain that he will take me as I am. You say he forgives all my failures and will restore my hope, and as long as I stay outside the church, you say God wants to forgive me. But that guy failed while he was one of you, and most of you are still vicious to him.' Then he uttered words that left me reeling: 'You Christians eat your own. Always have. Always will.'"

- "It would do some Christians good to stay home one weekend and watch the entire DVD collection of HBO's Band of Brothers. Marinate in it. Take notes. Write down words like loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice. Understand the phrase: never leave a fallen man behind."

If we really believe in the grace of God it will be demonstrated in our relationship with God AS WELL AS our relationships with others. The grace of God will allow us to forgive even when we would much rather walk in offense. The grace of God will always lead us to bring about restoration rather than leave people reeling in shame and humiliation. The grace of God will empower us to demonstrate the same compassion that Jesus displayed when He said, "Neither do I condemn you."

How is it possible to sing songs like "Grace Greater Than All Our Sin" and yet not be willing to forgive the people around us? I have determined in my own life that when it comes to the grace of God: I'm ALL IN!!! Will you join me? Will you be willing to love the unlovable? Will you be willing to embrace people at their worse just to demonstrate the grace of God unto them? Will you be willing to forgive people even though their sin seems so offensive? This is the life that Jesus demonstrated to us. AND it's the life that is available to all who walk in the grace of God.