Tag Archives: Grace

Some of my Thoughts on Ashley Madison

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Writing is one of those things that I do to help my think through things.  Here are some thoughts that have been running through my head these past few days.  I hope they can help you process all unfolding in this age we live in.

Unless you’ve been under a rock recently, you’ve heard about the Ashley Madison hack. It’s something that affected many families, industries, even the military and churches.

There are lists floating around of who is on it, and there are the names. Open for anyone to see. Some spread the lists. Others were afraid to look for fear they knew someone. There it is, all out in the open. To mourn over. To pass along. All there, right there in the open for everyone to see.

So many lives, if not destroyed, forever changed. Right there for all us all to google, search and see, by name or zip code. So many families harmed. So much, right there in front of us.

And as I thought through this, several thoughts came to my mind. But first a word. This is in no way to defend Ashley Madison or those that were part of this site. One of my favorite quotes about sin is something that I read once by Max Lucado, “The reason God hates sin so much is because it destroys His children.” That’s what I see all around in this instance. Sin that destroys so, so, so many lives.

MANTEARSAs I have read and thought and prayed, besides the destructive power of sin, a few things have come to my mind.

First, is the notion of public shame. Those whose names are on the list, it’s right there, all out in the open. On the internet. For everyone to see. To laugh at. To mock. To gossip about it. Man, that’s heavy. It’s a heavy thing to have to wear your shame in public. We all make mistakes. But for most of us, our mistakes in private and unless they have harmed others, they are our stories to reveal when we feel necessary. Those caught up in this have lost that. And that is just sad.

Second, and this is something that we all need to know, karma is not a Christian concept. The mainstream idea of karma is this; we get what is coming to us. That’s not what we believe as Christians. It’s just not. All that any of us has coming to us is judgment. We haven’t earned anything other than that. One of my favorite Christian artists, Lecrae raps this in his song Boasting:

Every day that I lie, every moment I covet
I’m deserving to die, I’m just earning your judgment.
I, without the cross there’s only condemnation.
If Jesus wasn’t executed, there’s no celebration.

And later he raps:

God has never been obligated to give us life.
If we fought for our rights, we’d be in hell tonight.
Mere sinners owed nothing but a fierce hand.
We never loved him; we pushed away his pierced hands.
I rejected his love, grace, kindness, and mercy.
Dying of thirst, yet, willing to die thirsty.

Too many Christians talk about karma. That’s just not who we are. We are people of grace. I’ve heard it said, “they got what was coming to them.” Maybe. Sin has a way of coming forth. But don’t we all have what’s coming to us?

And instead of that, don’t we want grace? Yes. Yes, we do. We all deserve judgment. And we all desire grace. And grace is never, ever deserved. That’s why it’s grace.

Grace is always an undeserved, unearned gift. That’s why it’s grace. And it goes to the most undeserving.

And one last thought. We are all broken. All of us. I am. You are. Even the self-righteous broken are still broken. And Jesus died for them too.  Jesus died for the individuals on this list.  Jesus died even for the ones doing things that offend you and I.  That doesn’t mean we’ve got to agree with their actions or condone what they are doing.

But it does mean that we have to understand that Jesus died for all of us, even the most broken among us.

I was talking with some of team today at St. Matthew’s, talking about this and other things and I told them, when I err, I will always err on the side of grace.

So, tonight, pray for families that are broken. Pray for those affected by all of this hurt. And pray for grace to make the broken whole. That’s what God desires to do, heal the broken.

May He heal the brokenness within us, so we can help heal the brokenness of others.

The Answer is Jesus

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What do you think of when you think of “witnessing?”  When you think about sharing your faith, what do you think?

Many (most) of us don’t like to think about it.  Our palms may start sweating.  Our heart may start beating faster.  We don’t want to do it.  Even if we really love Jesus.  Even if we know that folks need Him. Even if we want to tell others about Him, it still makes us nervous.

Yeah, I’m a preacher, and I understand!  So listen to what we are told today in 1 Peter 3: 14-16:

14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence.

jesus-christPeter gives us this word.  Always be ready to make a defense (other versions say give an answer) for your hope.

Why do you have hope in a bad situation?

Why do you forgive others when they don’t deserve it?

How do you find the strength to get off the mat when knocked down?

How can you love, serve, and give?

Why are you different?

The answer is Jesus.  Jesus is why.  He is why we have hope, peace, and show mercy.  He is why we can believe in the darkest hour. He is why our lives can be restored and bring restoration to others.

The answer is Jesus.

So, today, we witness.  But we don’t have to witness with our words.  Now hear me, I’m not saying we shouldn’t witness with our words.  If the Lord wants you to talk to someone or say something, do it!  What you say matters!  It really does.

But, our lives, they scream as loudly as words.  Today, may we live our that hope.  And may our hope be so alive, that folks want to know why we have it.

The answer is Jesus.

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Mirrors

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Today, you are a vessel that God wants to use.  You are.  You are someone who God has created, who He loves, who He desires to walk beside and love, who He desires to forgive, redeem, and use for amazing things.

There’s not a single thing in your life that God doesn’t want to use for His glory.  Even your failures.  Even the things that you have done wrong; even your mistakes.  God will use those too.  Listen to what it says today in Psalm 106: 4-8:

4 Remember me, O LORD, with the favor you have
for your people,
and visit me with your saving help;
5 That I may see the prosperity of your elect
and be glad with the gladness of your people,
that I may glory with your inheritance.
6 We have sinned as our forebears did;
we have done wrong and dealt wickedly.
7 In Egypt they did not consider your marvelous works,
nor remember the abundance of your love;
they defied the Most High at the Red Sea.
8 But he saved them for his Name’s sake,
to make his power known.

Psalm 106 is one of those Psalms that recounts all the things that God has done and all the ways that God has done it.  it is one of those powerful passages that shows how over and over again, God desires to save His people.  But why?

So many reasons.  He loves them (and us).  But it isn’t just He loves them (and us) but He is love.  He is grace.  He is peace.  He is God.  But we see in verse 8 one of the reasons that He shows grace.  And it shows how He will use even our failings.

He saved them (and us) to make His power know.

When He gives us grace, when He uses us, when great things are accomplished through us, all the credit, all the glory, it goes back to God.

Warm-Sunset-Reflection-Through-Car-Side-Mirrors__IMG_8780_cr-347x480A perfect God uses the imperfect people to accomplish His mission of grace.  Wow!  So in spite of all that we’ve ever done, He still wants to use us to change the world.  And when someone as imperfect as me, or you, or any of us, is used, it has to be because God is awesome!  Even our mistakes and our faults, they can’t stop God’s amazing grace.

Today, there’s not a part of your story that God can’t, and won’t use.  Even those mistakes.

When He uses us in some powerful, good is accomplished, and He gets the glory.  We are just mirrors, reflecting His light and His grace.

Today, as those who have been shown grace, may we show grace to others.  And may God receive the glory through it all!

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Realizing our Need

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What is the first step in our walk with God?  It can be a variety of things.  For some of us, its beautiful.  When we see something beautiful in life, we are reminded that there is beauty in life and God is that thing that is beautiful.

Perhaps it is passion. Maybe we feel God move in some powerful way and we want to be a part of that.  We want to know that thing that is deeper and bigger and more alive.

In so many ways, those that thing that draws us to Him is this.  Need.  We realize that in some deep way, we need Him.  There is a need, there is a gap, there is something that is missing in our lives.  Realizing that many times is that first step towards Him.  Look at what happens today, through in Mark 10:17-22:

17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 18Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments:”You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.”‘ 20He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

reachReading this today, this is what jumped out to me.  First, the man comes up to Jesus and calls Him good.  Notice Jesus’ response.  No one is good but God.  Now, Jesus is a good and holy and God Himself.  So He had every right to properly receive that title of “good.”  But he acted with humility.

The man asks Jesus what he had to do to enter the kingdom.  Jesus give a bunch of commands and the guy says – I’ve kept all these since my youth.  In other words, I’m awesome.  I’m pretty holy.  I am good.

See the contrast?  Jesus passed on the glory to God, and the man says, nope.  I’ve got this down pat.  I’m got it, it, I’m good.

He didn’t see that he needed God.  Coming to God is not about “doing” more, it’s about realizing that we need Him.  And when we realize that we need Him, He will give Himself to us.  But we can’t receive Him until we know that we need Him.

The man in the story thought he needed to do more and that he could do it one his own.  So Jesus told him to do something that he couldn’t do on his own; something he could only do through God. And he couldn’t do that.

Because he couldn’t do it.  Not on his own.  Only thought God could he do it.

He didn’t realize that he needed God.  And so he walked away shocked.

Because he didn’t realize his need for God.

He thought he had it.

May we not make that same mistake today!  May we realize our need for God, and may we understand just how He will meet those needs.

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Like a Magnet

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I heard a speaker say once if you to really change your life, read a Gospel.  Really sit down and read it. Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.  Take one, read through it, and see what you didn’t see before.  Don’t just take other’s words for who Jesus is, but dig down yourself, read the Gospel, see what He did and see what it means to you.

It really will change your life.  By the way, not for nothing, when folks ask me where they should start reading the Bible at, I always say Mark.  It’s a Gospel, it’s the shortest, and in many ways the easiest to understand.  So if you are looking to start reading the Bible, or start specifically with a Gospel, start with Mark.

Today, something really jumped out to me in our reading from Mark 2: 14-17:

14 As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. 15 And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples – for there were many who followed him. 16 When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, they said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

screws-stuck-to-ring-magnetHere’s what always amazes me about Jesus.  People that weren’t “righteous” those that were called “sinners” they were drawn to Him like a magnet. They wanted to be around Him.  They wanted to know Him.  They wanted to be in relationship with Him.

They ate with Him. The invited Him to their homes, where He ate with them.  There was something about Him, something about this Jesus that drew “sinners” to Him.  (I’m putting sinners in quotation marks, because we are all sinners needing grace.  Me, you, everyone.  And that’s ok, He came to give us that grace.)

So this where that passage leaves me.  What about us?  What us that are believers?  Are lost folk drawn to us?  Are sinners draw to us?  Do folks that don’t know Jesus, do they want to be around us like they did around Jesus?

Folks were drawn to Jesus like a magnet.  What about us?  Are we living out His grace, allowing His grace to shine through us in powerful ways that folks who don’t know Him, want to know Him?

I hope so.  I hope we live with such grace and mercy, that folks that don’t know Jesus will want to be around us.  Be friends with us, eat with us, laugh with us. Because when we are in relationship with people (just like Jesus was) His grace can change people.

So, today, may we be that magnet.  Through God’s grace, may people be drawn to us, so that we can point them to Jesus.

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The Greater Gift

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In today’s reading, we hear a story that we have all heard a lot, and those are always fun stories. Stories that are familiar, stories we love.  Listen to part of it, Mark 2: 1-5:

1 When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. 3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

roof-paralyticYou’ve probably heard sermons about friendship, how far we should be willing to go to help our friends meet Jesus.  Perhaps about the power of their faith.  If you were to keep reading this text, you’d see that Jesus tells the man that is paralyzed to get up and walk, showing His power to heal those that are sick.

But when I reading this morning, something else spoke to me.  Notice what the very first thing Jesus does is.  He says – your sins are forgiven.  In fact when we see Him heal this man, that healing is really evidence that He has the power to forgive sins.

Yes, we do see healing take place. But we see in this text what the greater gift is. Forgiveness.

Of all the things that Jesus can give you, the one that we may be most tempted to take for granted is that greater gift.  Forgiveness.

Life is not perfect.  There are troubles. There are hurts.  There is pain. There is loss. There many things that really do bring troubles to our soul and to live our lives. And hurt. And Jesus wants to heal them.  He is the healer of the nation.

But first, He wants to heal our greatest need and hurt.  Hear those words of Jesus.  Today, your sins are forgiven.  Hear that again.  Today, in and through Jesus, you are forgiven.

You may face the same trials today that you faced yesterday.  You may face the same hurts.  The same pains. The same temptations.

But hear it again.  You are forgiven.  For real.  You are.  Through the power and love of Jesus, you are forgiven.  The mistakes of the past, the stuff you’ve done wrong, the things that weigh you down, you can let them go.  Because Jesus has.

Today, no matter what has happened in your life, He offers you the greater gift.  Forgiveness.

Today, may we live in that gift.

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Grace upon Grace

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Grace is not a one-time thing.  It’s really not.  God doesn’t just see our mistakes, forgive us one time, and then be done with us forever.  No, God constantly gives us grace.

He gives us grace to forgive us, He gives us grace to empower us, He gives us grace to lead us.  For us, and for the world, grace is not a one-time thing.  It’s over and over and over again.  I am thankful that God is always lavishing us with grace and mercy.

That’s how it works between us and God.  But, how should it work between us.  God always forgives us when we ask Him, but what about you and me? What are we to do when we keep messing up?  I mean, really, can’t they get it right?  How much grace do they get?  Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 18: 21-22:

21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

grace_candle_logoNow, notice what Peter asks.  He says, what if another member of the church sins against me.  Two things popped out.  One is “sins against me.”  That means does something to harm that relationship.  Something that’s not good, something harmful and destructive.

Something that may leave a mark.  Something that really may just hurt.

That’s tough to deal with.  Tough to work through.  Tough to process.  It’s not easy.

What else jumped out at me?  “another member of the church.”  Someone that’s family.  As Christians, we are called to love. That’s one of our main commands and duties as believers, to love. We are called to love, because God is love. That’s our purpose and our mission.

Love the world.  Love each other.

But especially love each other.  Because we are family.

Church, we’ve got to love each other.  If we are always fussing and fighting among ourselves, then why would the world want o be part of us?  Sometimes the fights are over theology, or worship, or leadership, or a million different things.

Jesus tells us what to do.  Love.  Forgive.  Show mercy. Be graceful.

Even when “they” don’t deserve it.  Because we don’t deserve it either.  That’s why it’s grace.  It’s never earned or deserved.  It’s always, always, always given and received.

Today, you and I have received grace from our Loving God.  Today, may we show that grace to the world, and especially to each other. Because loving each other may be one of our biggest witness to world.

In a world that is angry and bitter and hurting, folks want to know that they are loved.  When we as the church live that out, I truly believe that we can change the world.

Today, may we show grace!

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At Just the Right Moment

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logo-wallpapers-clock-wallpaper-wallpaper-36269Has something ever come along at just the right moment for you?  You know, like that feeling when you are driving down a country road and your gas light comes on.  You begin to think, am I going to be able to make it to town where there is gas?  And then, out of nowhere, you find a gas station?

Or maybe you’ve been looking for something that belongs to your child or grandchild and they are THISCLOSE to having a meltdown.  And then, boom, out of nowhere, you find it?  Disaster averted.

It’s that a great feeling, to know that at just the right moment, you had what you needed.  I think about that a lot when I read today’s passage.  Listen to what it says in Romans 5: 6-8:

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I love that passage.  At just the right moment.  While we were weak, while we were frail, while we were at our most unlovable.  It was at that exact moment that Jesu died for us.  Not because we deserved it or earned it.

In fact, the exact opposite.  At that moment, that moment of our failure, our mistakes, our weakness, at that moment Jesus died for us.  Not because we earned it. But because He loves us.

At that moment when we were the most unloveable, that was the right moment.  That’s when grace was applied.

You are loved today.  You just are.  You can choose to live in that, or reject.  It’s your call, it’s my call.  It’s up to me and you to decide what we will do with God’s love at this moment.  But regardless of your choice, know this.

You are loved. Because at just the right moment, at just the right time.  At that moment when we were most unlovable, at that moment Jesus died for us.

You are loved.  Never forget that.  You are loved.

Live in that grace today.

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Forgiveness

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It’s really good for us to remember that the Lord has forgiven us.  That’s a good thing, a really good thing.

Why?  Well, first it helps us remember our worth.  Remember how valued we are.  Remember that our identity, our hope doesn’t come from ourselves, but from God. That’s so big, in a world that is so intense, filled with such pressure and worry, that’s huge to remember.

Second, that truth reminds us to lay down our burdens.  We don’t have to carry them around forever.  You are forgiven.  Yes.  You are.  You are forgiven.  Lay those burdens down.  Let them go.  Lay down your shame, your worry, your fear, your doubt.

You are forgiven.

Man, we need to drill that truth into our brains.  We are forgiven.

And here’s the cool thing.  When we understand that we are forgiven, it totally changes our walk with God. We stop trying to make God love us, but we live freely out of the love that He has already given us.  It changes our walk with God.  It really does.  But that’s not the only walk it changes.  Listen to what it says today in Colossians 3:12-13:

12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

forgivenessWe have been forgiven.  That means that we are supposed to forgive each other.  God has looked at our worst, and failures, the things we have done wrong, and shown us mercy and grace.  As Christians (as tough as it is) we are supposed to do the same things.

One of my favorite quotes from CS Lewis is from his book The Weight of Glory – “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

But how?  Only through God’s power.  We can’t forgive apart from God’s Spirit working through us.  Only the Holy Spirit can empower us to forgive as we are call.  We can’t do it ourselves. But through God, all things are possible.

When we accept God’s forgiveness, we lay down our burden.  When we forgive others, we lay another burden down.  That’s our call today as Christians.  To accept forgiveness and to give forgiveness.  Today, through God’s strength, may we live in that freedom and power.

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Keep on Moving

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One of the things that I know most about faith is that we are going somewhere.  We are on the move.  We have a direction and a purpose.

Now that somewhere, in time, is heaven.  Yes.  One day, for those of us that believe, we will cross over into eternity and we will forever be with the Lord.  That’s something to hope in, believe in, and rejoice in.

But that’s not just what I’m talking about it.  Listen to what we read today in Hebrews 6: 1-3:

Therefore let us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teaching about Christ, and not laying again the foundation: repentance from dead works and faith toward God, instruction about baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And we will do this, if God permits.

Summer_Palace,_Beijing-StairsWe are going on to perfection.  Woah.  That’s scary.  We don’t like the sound of that.  Perfection?  None of us are nowhere near that!

And you know what?  That’s exactly true.  None of us are anywhere near perfection. But just because we aren’t anywhere near it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be moving towards us.  We aren’t perfect.  That’s right.  But you know what?  We are working to be faithful.  And that’s always the first step, the first key.

And second, we have to understand that.  What does it mean to be perfect?  Well, let me ask you this, what is the point of our faith?  What are we after?  What are we doing?  We are seeking to, by His grace, to be more like God.

And what is God?  Holy and Love.  That’s His character.  So, how does Jesus tell us to be like Him?  Well, He says the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all that we are, and love our neighbor as ourselves.  That’s what true obedience looks like.

That’s what true holiness looks like.

That’s what perfection looks like.  John Wesley didn’t talk about perfect in action.  He talked about perfect in love.

That’s what we are chasing. That’s what we are after.  Perfect, in love.

Today, let’s keep moving.  Let’s keep being faithful.  Let’s keep working.  Let’s keep growing.  Let’s keep trying to be perfect in love. And let’s see what God does with it!

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