But for grace I would be lost. But for mercy I would have no opportunity to work out my salvation with fear and trembling. But for grace I would be hopeless. But for mercy I would be shamed by the very God I seek to serve. But for grace I would have no opportunity to know the love of a Savior, magnificent in all His holiness. But for love…but for mercy….but for grace….not of my own…only in Him.
Is there someone who needs that mercy…that love…that grace…passed forward today? Is there someone who needs to hear that He is big enough to heal the deepest wounds of the most broken heart? Is there someone who needs to know that shame does not have to last forever? Is there someone who needs to hear that what they see in the hardened hearts of those around them in church does not reflect the heart of the Father who is gently calling them home? Can I be an instrument of that message? Only if He does it through me today. I am …first and foremost…a sinner. I am in deepest need of the cleansing power of the God who desires me as His own. I must see…through the veil darkly…but through the eyes He has given me…each and every person as being just like me. The challenge is not to look the shiniest or to be the loudest or the most successful. The challenge…whether we have admitted it in the modern church or not…is to be the one who beats people up the least. The one who is able to overcome the hurt and pain and hate and to find the place where only His love shines through our eyes…no matter who we see or what they do. It is a place higher than I reside…yet one I seek to attain to. Please help me Jesus.
Let’s pray for one another in this…
Amen….
Consider It Pure Joy 