Category: Salvation (Page 28 of 34)

God's Outrageous Grace

March 31, 2010 / Allan / 0 Comments

We say all the right things in church and we sing all the right songs about God’s amazing grace and mercy. We preach and teach God’s compassion and great commitment to salvation. But I think we still have a hard time coming to grips with the reality of it all. The truth is that God’s grace really is amazing! It’s outrageous! It’s absurd! God’s grace is ridiculous! It’s unfounded! It’s unfair! It’s downright scandalous!

“How can I give you up? How can I hand you over? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. I will not carry out my fierce anger… For I am God, and not man — the Holy One among you. I will not come in wrath.” ~Hosea 11:8-9

“Who is a God like you who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.” ~Micah 7:18-19

Holy Scripture tells us that because of God’s determined persistence to save the lost, his merciful deliverance is available to all who will repent and call on the name of the Lord. He pours his outrageous grace on everybody! Not just Texans. Not just Americans. Not just people in the Church of Christ. God’s grace is not just for people who don’t have a criminal history. It’s not just for people with a high school education. It’s not only for people who’ve been relatively good for most of their lives. God’s outrageous, sin-forgiving, peace-bringing, grace-overflowing, eternal-life-pouring salvation is offered to every man and woman on this planet!

“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” ~2 Peter 3:9

“Christ died for sins once for all.” ~1 Peter 3:18

“One died for all… He died for all… God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ.” ~2 Corinthians 5:14-19

His grace is outrageous because it’s poured out freely on murderous Ninevites and rebellious prophets alike. It’s out-of-control grace because God gives just as much to my sainted grandmother in Kilgore as he does to a sex offender in Dallas. It’s impossible-to-comprehend-grace because he extends the same amount to the person who baptized you as he does to a terrorist in Afghanistan.

Crazy, huh?

Our merciful Father calls us to join him in his concern for all people. He calls us to be mediators of that ridiculous love and forgiveness.

Crazy, huh?

Peace,

Allan

God's Determined Persistence

March 19, 2010 / Allan / 0 Comments

“I will search for the lost and bring back the strays.” ~Ezekiel 34:16

Our God will go to whatever lengths are necessary, he’ll do whatever it takes, he will not ever give up on saving his people. Even when we resist, he keeps on pursuing. Even when we rebel, he keeps on forgiving. Even when we run away, he keeps chasing. He won’t be stopped in his goal of redeeming his children.

“Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country
and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” ~Luke 15:4

Our merciful Father used the power of a violent storm and the weak witness of a runaway prophet to save the pagan sailors in Jonah 1. He created and commanded the great fish to rescue his rebellious servant in Jonah 2. And in Jonah 3, our faithful God put five Hebrew words into the hearts of a wicked people and turned an entire kingdom upside down for him.

“I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,” declares the Sovereign Lord.
“Repent and live!” ~Ezekiel 18:32

Our God is that relentless hound of heaven C. S. Lewis writes about. He’s on the trail to save and he won’t be stopped. May we see the world as our Father sees the world. May we light the lamps and sweep the floors. May we leave the 99 and go into the wilderness to save the one. May we go into the “streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” May our will and our mindset match that of our Righteous Creator who moves heaven and earth so that all the men and women of the world, all the men and women of your community, will be saved. And may we allow nothing — absolutely nothing! — to get in our way.

Peace,

Allan

Salvation Comes From the Lord

March 12, 2010 / Allan / 1 Comment

The most interesting thing about Jonah 2 is that the prophet gives thanks to God for his deliverance while he is still inside the fish! He praises God for his rescue even before he is on dry land!

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.” ~Jonah 2:2

Jonah doesn’t even mention the small matter of his residency in the fish. Instead, he demonstrates a complete trust in the mercy and compassion of God. He is grateful to be in the Lord’s keeping, even if it’s in the belly of a whale.

“You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God!” ~Jonah 2:6

Jonah gives thanks in spite of the uncertainty of still being in the sea. He gives praise knowing he did not deserve to be rescued. He’s grateful for safety in a most unlikely place. He’s thankful even in great discomfort. Jonah recognizes God’s salvation in spite of his unresolved questions and issues.

“Salvation comes from the Lord!” ~Jonah 2:9

Jonah sank to the bottom of the sea. The “roots of the mountains.” Surrounded by the deep. Engulfed by the waters. In the “depths of the grave.” Jonah sank to the ocean floor, and yet he did not drown. He did not die. He was saved by our gracious God. Our mighty God is still in the rescuing business today. Sin and death are no match for his uncompromising love and incomparable power.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

More empty tomb “tags,” these from an increasingly bold Lorie T:

Peace,

Allan

Better Safe Than Sorry

March 3, 2010 / Allan / 2 Comments

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” ~Romans 12:1-2

We want more than anything to be in God’s holy will. We want to be holy. We want to please our Father. We want to get everything right. We want so badly to be correct. And so when we discuss divorce and remarriage or worship practices or church structures or any of the other “hot button” issues or topics, a lot of us will say “better safe than sorry.” When making decisions about behavior or practice, we’ll oftentimes employ this “better safe than sorry” mantra to guide our interpretation of Scripture and our instruction to others.

And that’s OK, if we truly understand what it means to be “safe” when we’re talking about our God and his will for his people.

Usually, “better safe than sorry” means everybody freeze! Nobody do anything! Everybody step back! And then we draw lines and develop boundaries and devise rules and make judgments. This kind of thinking dictates that we be extra-triple-careful not to offend God’s holy will and risk being damned to hell. That kind of philosophy is probably good if you’re a sky-diver or you make your living dismantling bombs. When wiring a house or feeding a lion or crossing a busy street, “better safe than sorry” makes perfect sense.

But “better safe than sorry” is no way to live in relationship with God and God’s people. Unless we’re all very clear with what exactly it means to act “safely” according to God’s economy.

Acting “safely,” according to our heavenly Father, means giving more grace and mercy, not more rules and regulations. It means more acceptance and less judgment. It means forgiveness and compassion, not lines and boundaries. If you want to be “better safe than sorry” with God, you’ll exercise more patience and understanding with your Christian brothers and sisters and do away with all prejudice and pride. Being “safe” with God means showing more love to the people you meet in the world and less attitude.

It means being like Christ.

Making up more rules and holding others accountable to those rules is something else entirely.

Peace,

Allan

The Strong Branch

January 28, 2010 / Allan / 0 Comments

You don’t have to wait for every single one of your doubts and fears to go away before you commit your life to Christ. You don’t have to be “strong in the faith” before you give yourself to God. It’s not the depth of your faith or the purity of your heart that saves you. It’s God’s work through Christ. Period.

Just trust him.

I love Timothy Keller’s illustration in his excellent book, The Reason for God:

Imagine you are on a high cliff and you lose your footing and begin to fall. Just beside you as you fall is a branch sticking out of the very edge of the cliff. It is your only hope and it is more than strong enough to support your weight. How can it save you? If your mind is filled with intellectual certainty that the branch can support you, but you don’t actually reach out and grab it, you are lost. If you mind is instead filled with doubts and uncertainty that the branch can hold you, but you reach out and grab it anyway, you will be saved. Why? It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.

Trust him. Trust him with everything. Give him your doubts. Give him your fears. Admit them up front. It’s OK. Our God is big enough and strong enough to handle that, too. Just trust him. Reach out and grab him.

I’ve always believed in Jesus. But, I must confess, my heart’s most fundamental trust was usually somewhere else. My trust was usually in my own competency and decency. Now I see clearly how messed up that is. I’m not that good. I’m not that competent. I’m not that decent.

I’m only saved by Jesus.

Give everything to him. Transfer all of your trust to him. God will receive you and accept you, not for anything you’ve done or can possibly do in the future, but because of what Christ has done and promises to do for you.

Peace,

Allan

God Was With ______.

January 19, 2010 / Allan / 1 Comment

Pete Gent, the wise-cracking wide receiver of the early Dallas Cowboys teams, once walked by a rookie, slumped over at his locker, studying Tom Landry‘s overly thick and complicated playbook. “Don’t bother reading it, kid,” Gent said. “Everybody gets killed in the end.”

Cynical. Funny. OK, brilliant!

In Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, the narrarator actually encourages Joseph while he’s in prison. He tells Joseph not to despair. Don’t give up. He says, “I’ve read the book and you come out on top!”

We don’t have that benefit. Our books aren’t finished yet. The chapters of our lives are written as we live them out every day. And nobody knows exactly what our endings will look like. But the call from our God is to run the race with endurance and faithfulness. Wherever we are. Whatever our circumstance. In great confidence that he is with us.

God is with you. In your place. In your situation. He’s right there with you. Joseph gets thrown into a pit and sold into slavery by his own brothers. Scripture says God was with Joseph. Joseph is made head over Potiphar’s house. The Bible says God was with Joseph. He’s thrown in prison by Potiphar’s wife. He’s rescued by a forgetful cupbearer. He’s put in charge of all of Egypt. And throughout the story we’re told that God was with Joseph. I’ve counted 27 times, through all the dramatic ups and downs of Joseph’s life, from Genesis 37 through Genesis 50, when it’s made clear that God was with Joseph.

The end of the story makes it crystal clear. It looks like Joseph is being made by Pharaoh. The king of Egypt gives Joseph his new office, his new status, his new robes, his power, his authority, his new name, his new wife. It all comes from Pharaoh. But from the standpoint of the biblical author — and in the view of Joseph himself — it all comes from God.

God sent Joseph. God was with Joseph. God raised up Joseph.

Joseph is not Pharaoh’s man. He’s God’s man. He’s not Pharaoh’s instrument of economic survival. He’s God instrument of salvation.

I don’t know how your story turns out, friend. I have no idea what you’re going through right now. But I do know God is with you.

“It is very sweet as life passes by, to be able to look back on dark and mysterious events, and to trace the hand of God where once we saw only the malice and cruelty of man.” ~F. B. Meyer

Peace,

Allan

Category: Salvation (Page 28 of 34)

God's Outrageous Grace

God's Determined Persistence

Salvation Comes From the Lord

Better Safe Than Sorry

The Strong Branch

God Was With ______.

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