Recognizing The Reality Of Grace

God's grace is a gift and a wonderful reason to love God for his heart.  We love him because we recognize how much he really loves us (I John 4:19). But what if someone doesn't recognize his love?

What if someone gave you a gift and it was wrapped in a beautiful package. You certainly wouldn't ignore that person or scowl a him. What if you opened the package and there was nothing in there but a piece of paper with the word 'grace' written on it? You might feel let down and empty. That is sometimes how I felt when I was trying to understand what God meant by grace.  I found definitions of grace galore like 'unearned favor, God's unmerited divine favor, divine favor etc. I get that we don't earn it, but oftentimes those definitions don't really get to the heart of what grace is and grace is a very big beautiful concept.

My husband I are really enjoying a new fancy camera. We HAVE TO read the instructions!  Both of us admit to not knowing how to use it. I am so thankful every time we change the settings to take a picture a little instruction blurb pops up on the monitor to explain the why of the setting. We found complete joy when we discovered the action setting and took pictures of our grandchildren sliding into base ( a brave action for a 5 year old), pitching and batting (making my 9 year old grandson look like a pro). I can't wait to use it on my dancing granddaughter and my toddler grandson (Mr. Personality).

Many people don't like to read instructions so they skip doing it altogether. I can't count how many times I've gone back to read the instructions on something and found a new way to apply and use it. This works the same way with God's word.

Grace is indeed God's unearned favor but it is so much more than just what dribbles from heaven.  It is God's heart, his presence, his forgiveness and his power. It is just, very simply, his love. Grace comes with an instruction manual. We should want to read the instructions and utilize his gift of grace fully. "Obedience" is not a bad word and it is not contrary to grace. It is simply knowing what is available and knowing that we have the right to accept God's unmatched blessing in our lives by receiving what he offers us. When we fully understand why we listen to God, why we read his word, why we pray, we look forward to it.  It is not a chore or something we have to do.

I used to follow a schedule for reading the Bible, but I soon found myself reading a chapter and thinking about a million other things and not remembering what I read, let alone applying it. I am reading through the Bible now but time is of no essence and sometimes something in the Old Testament brings something in the New Testament to my mind and I go there. Usually it is because I'm onto something that is right here and now in my life. It is amazing but not surprising that God can be so personable and close. Knowledge helps in recognizing God at work and having the freedom in your mind to let him expand the work of grace in your heart.

Keeping Busy With The Work of Love

Have you ever felt  God peacefully impressing love on your heart when praying for people? The apostle Paul expressed this sort of thing in the first chapter of Philippians :

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

The phrase 'bowels of Jesus Christ' refers to the innermost being of Christ that resided in Paul. We are connected to God and his son through the gift of holy spirit that we receive when we acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as God's son who was raised from the dead and now is the head of God's church.

What is so amazing about this type of prayer is that one can be at total juxtaposition with someone and still pray in this wonderful loving way for them without feeling any negative twinge at all. The more we mature and become more Christ-like, the more we pray with clear undiluted passion for people. We set aside hurts, negative thinking and anger to literally get that innermost heart that peacefully focus on the right and good path of being clear-eyed about love:

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Philippians 1:9-10

Paul was in prison at the time he wrote this. He was in a tough situation. His life was in jeopardy, he was in prison and for what? Was he charged with murder, theft or fraud, lying or libel? No, in reality he was in jail for his beliefs. His state of mind and heart under the pressure of it all is readily apparent when reading the book of Philippians.  He kept busy with the work of love. His heart's desire for the Philippians was that they superabounded more and more in love that was guided by knowledge and judgement. He wanted the Philippians the clearly see God's heart at work in their lives so that they could separate truth from error.

Truth brings joyous abundance, error brings darkness and misery. Truth loves, error brings on more error and bondage. God can show us how to deal truthfully in love and that may mean speaking up or not worrying about political correctness at times. There are times 'minding your own business' can be quite hateful and there are other times that 'minding your own business' can be quite loving. God's love is the only way the way to discriminate between the two.

Life is all about 'judgement'. Of course it is, but the  words 'judgement' and 'judgmental' have taken on a negative connotation through the years. God made our brains in a way that we must weigh, discern, think and make decisions. With God's help love makes the best judgement. That is why prayer is so important. When we have a question or a problem, God can settle our hearts in prayer and we can live in the fullness of life and help others truthfully!

Perfect Love From a Perfect Father

Perfect love casts out fear and gives us true freedom. Real fear is obsessive! Fear grips, presses, engulfs and controls. We are meant to be free of all things oppressive, depressive and obsessive. Jesus Christ has set us free from these things through the truth. He has been our reconciliation to God. We have been given the spirit to settle our minds and hearts. That is what the New Testament is all about. That is why there is a New Testament!

With all that said, we see fear everywhere. Is perfect love so hard to see or is it hiding? No! It is everywhere! God wants the best for our lives and we see the effects of that in nature and in his word.

Many people choose to walk around in the dark without bothering to allow light in. Part of the reason for this is that people think they can't go to God directly, have not been taught and have had wrong teaching. There is nothing enlightening about darkness. There are sincere religious people around today that are no better than those who reject God and in some instances worse because they been fed with teaching laced with fear and all those 'sessives'. It is sad when someone doesn't believe there's a God but it is even worse when someone believes the wrong things about God.

Believing that God is love is a great place to start. God has lovingly made the creation and put man in it. He is our source for all that we need to enjoy life in all of its fullness.

When people truly see themselves as God sees them, life is much easier to deal with. Humans that interact with each other with the love of God in their hearts are very blessed by each other.  When we make people or even ourselves our only source, life fails.  If we humans mess up, God is very forgiving when we go to him and we access that wonderful 'peace that passeth all understanding' (Philippians 4:6-7). As a result can we have a clearer mind to see others as God sees them.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.We love him, because he first loved us.  I John 4:16-19