092207

September 22, 2007

Defined by Grace

by Shana Schutte

Have you ever been blown away by God's grace? Have you ever been face down on the carpet, crying out in gratitude because you felt you didn't deserve to be forgiven--let alone have Him bless you? Have you ever marveled at why God would give you another chance after you failed so miserably?

I've felt that way and today I wondered why. Why am I so amazed by God's grace? I thought. Why do I marvel at his second, third, fourth and fifth chances? Why do I sometimes cry when I think about how He accepts me after I mess up? There are probably several reasons, but perhaps one in particular is that the world often preaches an opposing message. If we perform well, acceptance is freely granted; but if we perform poorly, someone is often ready to condemn.

Take the media for example. Have you noticed how ruthless we humans can be in spreading knowledge about the sins of others? Have you also taken note how we sometimes define a man or woman by one sin? Ah yes, he committed adultery; he must be completely evil. She lied about her salary; I'm sure she's also a bad mother. He didn't pay his taxes; I've heard he's also unkind. I'm so glad God doesn't define me by my sin, aren't you?

When we fail, others may want to label us as bad; define us evil, and shame us for being no good, but God says, "Get back up. Let's try this one more time." Through God's amazing grace, we are free to fail because we know our failures are not final. Grace gives us the ability to walk into the future with hope, just like Paul.

In Philippians 3:14, Paul wrote: "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." Remember that Paul threw early Christians in prison, and stood by approving while Stephen was stoned to death? By human standards, he had every reason to feel guilty for the rest of his life. Can you imagine what would have happened if he didn't trust in God's grace and allowed anyone to define him by his failure? He would have been trapped in despair and would not have fulfilled his calling.

If you have carried around a load of guilt for something that you've done, be encouraged! If Paul could trust in God's grace, and have hope in the future, so can you--no matter how another person has condemned you.

"From the fullness of His grace, we have received one blessing after another." John 1:16 (NIV)

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