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But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without hoping to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind even to people who are ungrateful and full of sin. Luke 6:35 (NCV)
Ten lepers approached Jesus one day (Luke 17). There’s more to the story than what is just written in Luke’s account of the gospel. Lepers were forbidden to approach anyone. Those who got close to lepers were considered unclean. But Jesus took a chance on them, he told them to go to the priest and show themselves to him. On the way they were miraculously healed. Only one of the men returned to thank Jesus for all he’d done.
So, what happened to the other nine? We aren’t told but I think I know. They went on their way, just like 90% of the people you may know who never think to say thank you. In God’s kingdom he doesn’t expect anything from those who he shows grace too. We can’t earn his favor, nor can we repay him once we’ve accepted the gift of healing. The only thing we can do is what the one leper did; we can praise God for his free gift.
How does that relate to our lives as Christ-followers? It’s human nature to gravitate towards those who treat us kindly. We may do favors for people with no expectation of return, but we are far more likely to continue to give to those who give back in some way. It’s draining to always give and never get anything, even a thank you, in return. Yet that is precisely what Jesus teaches us to do. Lend with no expectation of being repaid. Notice the wording. Lending implies repayment by its very definition. If repayment isn’t expected it’s not lending, it’s giving.
That’s what grace is all about. Giving with no expectation of return. Grace is being kind to others when you know that they won’t show any gratitude and may even return your kindness with abuse.
Yet another dichotomy in the life of the believer. Giving grace to the undeserving. But grace by definition is showing kindness when it’s not deserved and will never be returned. Your Father did that for you when he sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross. He extended kindness to you when he knew you were undeserving and could never repay him. Yet he reached out to you in spite of yourself.
How can you show grace to someone today? It can’t be done in your own power. It can’t be done with expectation of gratitude or reward. In fact, the opposite is true. Showing grace to those who don’t deserve it is the best way to show Jesus to those who need him.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you for the example you gave us of the lepers. They were completely unable to repay you for the grace and healing to offered them, yet you healed them. Most of them were ungrateful, yet you gave with no expectation of reward. Empower me with your Spirit to show that kind of grace to those who need the forgiveness and healing only you can give. Amen.
Then God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. When you go to the people of Israel, tell them, ‘I AM sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (NCV)
Time changes things. Following is a list of things that have changed over time. It’s obviously not an exhaustive list. Maybe you can think of other things that have changed, some that have changed the course of the world, some that have changed your personal life.
Time has changed how we think about:
- Technology: Who would have thought ‘text-ing’ would be a form of communication and not just a form of print?
- Worship used to be a section of the church service rather than a style of music.
- Marriage was considered to be the relationship of a man and woman. There were no other options and it lasted a life-time.
- Family was a husband, wife and biological children. The concept of a blended family hadn’t been ‘invented’ yet.
- Divorce was rare in general and unheard of in ‘Christian’ circles. Now almost ½ of all marriages end in divorce and there is no difference between allegedly Christian and non-Christian marriages.
- Community was limited to the town you lived in and not a reference to the global relationship we all share.
- Commerce was limited to goods produced in your own country. Items from other countries were considered exports, rather than today when there is little difference between what is manufactured in one country or another.
- Phone messages have changed. 20 years ago the need to choose English (or whatever your native language is) wasn’t an option on answering systems. English (at least in theUSA) was assumed.
- Relationships are changing at a rapid pace. Aging, divorce and career moves (to name a few) make the idea of long-term friendships and relationships more of a rarity than a rule.
- Word meanings have changed as well. Not only is ‘text-ing’ as mentioned earlier, a new word, call someone gay today and, depending on the situation, you may find yourself in an instant conflict!
You may be able to add some things to the list. Things that have changed your life and the lives of those around you. So, what’s the point? Only this. When God introduced himself to Moses and the Israelites he didn’t introduce himself as the God who was. He didn’t introduce himself as the God who will be. He introduced himself as the God who is. ‘I AM’ signifies that he never changes. Time won’t change your God. Circumstances won’t alter his power. Societal changes won’t redirect the impact of his wisdom and his holiness for all of mankind. Unchanged from creation until today. Who or what else can boast of that?
PRAYER: Father God. I can’t wrap my mind around the truth of your unchanging character. My humanity seems in constant change like a ship without a sail. But you, O Lord are my rudder. You are the one who is so sure that you will guide me through the changes ahead. I praise you for being the ‘Great I AM’. Amen
Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalm 10:1
It’s during the wilderness time of our lives that we expect God to be present. After all, doesn’t scripture say ‘He is an ever present help in times of trouble?” (Psalm 46:1-2) Aren’t we told we can hide in him? (Psalm 91:1-2)
Too often it seems like he is the one hiding. If we are honest, the times of trouble we go through aren’t nearly as hard to take as the feeling that in those times of trouble we struggle to see God’s face. “I could endure this trouble if I could see you!” we tell ourselves.
Those struggles of our heart, the painful wandering in the wilderness of our souls are the true test of our trust in God and our belief in the hope we have through Christ. If God were to carry us through every trial and make our journey effortless; if he were to keep us from all pain and suffering and show us the easy way to traverse the rocky path of life; if he were to protect us from all pain, then from where would we learn to be strong. Troubling times are the skeleton, the muscles of life that give us strength to carry on.
Somewhere along the line we’ve gotten the mistaken idea that if God is a God of love, then pain will be absent from our lives, but this is never found in scripture. On earth, during this life we should not be surprised when trouble comes, we should be expecting it.
Sometimes we have to admit that the trials we endure are the consequences of past sin. We are forgiven to be sure, but the consequences of that sin can last a lifetime. Sometimes those consequences are natural results of our choices. Sometimes those consequences are the result of critical and judgmental people who refuse to allow us to forget our past. Either way, the consequences of our past can keep us from seeing the Father.
Times of trouble can be lessons of grace as well. Paul prayed three times for some unknown thorn to be removed from his life. The answer? My grace is sufficient. Were we to be trouble free, we might naturally assume that we are in control of our destiny, that we are able to make our way on our own strength. Grace reminds us that we need God. Times of trouble remind us that we need grace.
Times of trouble come at the hands of evil men as well. People who call themselves messengers of God can be the worst. They put the label of their religion on everything they do, but there is no grace. There is no understanding. There is no compassion. We are misjudged, misunderstood and mistreated. Sometimes for our past (which was forgiven) sometimes for our stand for God.
There may be other reasons you can think of for why this ‘time of trouble’ has come into your life. It may be to teach you some lesson on life, or to strengthen you for the future. Whatever the case, when you can’t see the Father you can know two things. One, he is not far away. Two, he has good reason to allow you this ‘time of trouble’. Use it to grow more closely to him or it will be used by the enemy to pull you away.
PRAYER: Father, I don’t understand you. I confess that openly. It’s especially hard to understand you during those times when I feel like I need you the most and can’t find
“that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:5-6 NLT
A few years ago I changed my cell phone provider and as a result got a new phone number. For a short time after that (and still on occasion) I’d get phone calls from people looking for someone else. I’d tell them that this was my number and I wasn’t the person they were looking for. That person, who ever it was, was no longer at this ‘address’.
That’s what grace is like. As we try to grow closer to Christ, old acquaintances will try to contact us.
Old friend worry will dial our number when the boss tells us that the company will be downsizing and your hours will be cut.
Lust will pop up on the phone screen of your life when things at home get a little to stressful and you begin to wonder if the grass really is greener on the other side of the fence.
You’ll hear the familiar voice of anger as you find the porn magazine under your son’s bed.
Doubt will ask for you to come to the phone when the prayers you prayed so fervently aren’t answered the way you’d hoped.
Fear will text you when the doctor calls and, rather than give you the results over the phone, asks you to come into the office.
Shame and guilt? Oh, they still have your number too. They’ll call at any hour of the day or night, waking you up to remind you of your past or question how you can talk about God with this ‘monkey’ hidden on your back.
Grace tells us that we can respond to each of these old friends by saying, “Sorry. I don’t live there anymore.” Before Christ we lived side by side with all of these old friends. Now that Jesus is in our lives we are changed, we’re new people, we live at I M Forgiven and we no longer need to take calls from the old life.
When the old friends call don’t give them a moment of your time. The shame and guilt you once carried can be placed on the back of a Savior who died to free you from that baggage. The anger, lust, worry and fear can be put out on the curb for garbage pick-up. You have no more use for it.
There’s nothing you can do to free yourself of these enemies of your soul. But that’s okay, Jesus already did that for you 2000 years ago on the cross. Today he sits at the right hand of creator God to be an advocate for us in our struggle. Because of Jesus you no longer live at that old address!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus the old life isn’t willing to let me go very easily. I still struggle on a daily basis with at least one of the old ‘friends’ from my past. Empower me by your Spirit to live free of their harassment. Because of you I’m a new person at a new address and they have no more hold on me. Thank you! Amen.
For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 2 Peter 1:16 NIV
When Moses came down from the mountain after meeting with God his face shone with such brilliance that the people asked him to cover his face in their presence.
When Isaiah entered thetempleofGodand saw him for who he really was he fell to his knees and cried ‘Woe is me!”
When ‘Doubting Thomases saw Jesus he exclaimed “My Lord and my God!” and fell to his knees.
When Mary saw Jesus in the garden she rushed excitedly to the others and exclaimed “I have seen the Lord!”
When the two on the road to Emmaus finally recognized their dinner guest they exclaimed to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us?”
When Peter, the denier, recognized the solitary figure on the beach he jumped into the water shouting “It is the Lord!”
The point is, when you truly meet with God a change occurs within you. A change that is evident to those around you because you are different in appearance, actions and words. When you see Jesus for who he truly is, you can’t help but proclaim to others that you are one with him, you are his.
The point is, too often we go through the activities of religion without any noticeable change. Going to church is good. It can be reviving. It can show you the way to life. But does it change you? Going to three Bible studies a week and religiously reading your Bible and praying can do wonders for your soul, but when you walk away do others say “He’s been with God today. He’s seen Jesus.”
When your kids are out of control, do they see Jesus in you? When your spouse is unresponsive doe he/she Jesus in you? When you are driving on the interstate can others see by your actions that you have been with God or do they think you are trying to send them to God?
It’s not enough to SAY you’ve been with Jesus. Spirituality isn’t measured by activity it’s measured by the spiritual fruit you exhibit to others on a daily basis. Spirituality is shown best when life is at its worst.
If Jesus has forgiven your sin, show others forgiveness. If Jesus has shown you patience in your weakness, show others patience. If Jesus has remained a faithful friend when you have rebelled and ignored him, show faithfulness to those who are untrustworthy. If Jesus makes you smile, show others the joy within you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus I thank you for all you have done for me. I praise you for your forgiveness, your grace your mercy and all spiritual blessings you’ve bestowed on me. I’m so unworthy. May others know, by looking at me, that I’ve been with you today. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 