Reason for Grace

…He raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as He promised. (Acts 13:22, 23 ESV)

Reason for Grace

By definition Grace is unearned favor, undeserved reward, and unmerited blessing.  However, those aspects of Grace do not presuppose that God gives Grace for no reason whatsoever.

While WE might not know God’s purpose and reasons, He certainly does.

From our perspective, Grace might seem random and foolish.  But God extends Grace to us because He has purposes, intentions, goals, and knowledge far beyond us.

We can see some hint of this in the case of King David.  God chose David, not because David had already been God’s man… but because God knew David would do God’s will, and led genetically to the very Son of God Himself, Christ Jesus.

Yes, that whole ‘outside of time’ thing is confusing.

But we can see that David was not Graced because David earned it… but rather because God had an unspoken plan, an unannounced intention, an unstated understanding of who David was going to be.

God hinted at this, even, when selecting David as Israel’s next King.  He said, “God looks at the heart” (I Samuel 17:7 ESV).  Not referring to David’s cardiac muscles.  But rather the unseen, the behind the scenes, the internal.  The particular realm of God’s Spirit.

There is always reason for Grace.  Never as reward, or obligation… but always because of God’s knowledge, providence, and love.

God’s reasons for Grace are a blessing.

Noah and Grace

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord… Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:8,9 ESV)

Noah and Grace

Why was Noah chosen to lead the Ark Expedition?  It might seem it was because of Noah’s righteousness.  But it was not.

Before Noah acted with righteousness, Noah found favor in the eyes of God.

He did not earn favor in God’s eyes.  He found favor because God chose to see Noah favorably.

Noah’s obedience, all the way up the ramp of the ark, was due to that favor.

And that favor is another word for Grace.

This famous story is not an example of finding salvation through righteousness.  It is a prime example of God’s Grace towards us that starts the salvation train rolling.

And I lean heavily on that.  I rejoice greatly in that.  I depend absolutely on that.

Because of my salvation depended on my righteousness, I’d be watching the Ark from the water.

But the Lord found favor with me, too.  In fact the Lord has found favor with each of His children, or we would not be His children.

What a blessing God’s favor is.

Salvation

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15 ESV)

Salvation

Most Christians understand that our salvation is a result of God’s Grace towards His People.  We do not earn salvation, deserve salvation, or buy salvation.

But it might be more Gracious than we usually think.

Notice this great Gospel Promise is not given to Adam and Eve.  It is given to the enemy.  Satan, here personified as the tempting serpent, is given a promise.  Satan will lose in his bid to conquer God and God’s creation.

If this salvific promise were given to humans, we might choose to find some conditions in it.  In fact, it is common for us to falsely find or invent conditions regarding salvation in many of the unconditional promises in God’s Word.

But God’s promise of salvation is presented here as a negative promise to the evil one.  Our activities, thoughts, intentions, desires, choices, character, family, professions, integrity, or niceness are not mentioned.

Because here, clearly, we receive the promise of salvation as bystanders.

God’s Son, Eve’s offspring, will fight for our souls and win.

Sure, of course, absolutely, God commands our response, our love, our acceptance of Christ’s work crushing Satan’s head.

But God does it.  God promises it.  God foretold it.  God carried it out. 

It is His bailiwick. So with hope, faith, and joy, embrace it.

What a blessing salvation is.

Scripture

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3:16 ESV)

Scripture

In the one football game that I was the sole coach and play-caller, I spoke to the opposing coach after the game.  I had won, you see.  I had won dramatically, with skill and strategy. 

And I wanted him to know HOW I had beaten him.  So I described my tactics, plans, and ability.

I do not think he appreciated the conversation.

I spoke to him for MY sake.  Because it made ME feel good.

God is not like me.

He created the universe, and has providentially worked in history and today, and will continue to do so tomorrow.  He has a wonderful plan involving His people, His Son, His Kingdom, and every proton, neutron, and electron.

And He has no reason to tell us anything about it.  He is not required to explain Himself to us.  He is not forced to describe His motivation, His activities, or His goals.

But He does so, eloquently.

Because He Graciously decided to do so.

God’s Word, the Bible, is another act of God’s Grace. 

What a blessing that Grace is.

Creation

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 ESV)

Creation

Yes, the first event in history was God’s amazing act of creation.  No other witnesses were present, but the Biblical description makes a pretty amazing picture.  First, God had to imagine what ‘everything’ would be like.  He invented the universe, and made it.  Eventually, mankind was made in God’s image, but the rest of planet earth, our solar system, our galaxy, and the universe were made without a blueprint, model, or previous idea.

And then He made what He imagined. 

I’ve imagined a lot of things, but have not been particularly effective in bringing my thoughts to reality.  I still have no time machine, perpetual motion device, alchemic gold from lead process, or a bacon tree.

But God made everything.

But the question today is, why did He bother?

He was not bored.  He did not need a playground.  He was utterly self-sufficient and completely content.  He was the almighty God, dwelling in His glory.

But He was also full of Grace.

He did not create the universe because He needed it, or was obligated to anyone, or had to follow come universal law.

He did it out of Grace.

He did it for His people.

He did it because somehow, unstuck in time as He was and is… He knew His people, and made a place for us to dwell. 

The first event in the Bible… the very first verse… is a description of God’s Grace!

What a blessing that Grace is.

Counting Blessings

We all know we are supposed to count our blessings.  From the old hymn, to Bing’s crooning, we are nudged, reminded, and challenged to be more aware of blessings.  And we have a lot of blessings.

Think objectively about them for a moment.  We are more safely housed than much of the world. We are better fed than much of the world.  We have more information available than much of the world. We have more peace than much of the world. 

Think enthusiastically about them for a moment.  Our lives, even with our many pains, ailments, worries and fears are very good.  Because God does everything for His people, for our good.  While we are trained by our society to be cynical and cautious, instead, we have blessings enough to make our cheeks sore from smiling, our eyes glaze in brightness, and our hearts beat with joy.

Think honestly about them for a moment. The creator of the universe loves His people, and that means us Christians.  The Sovereign Lord of all has moved heaven and earth to bring us His blessings.  The unconditional love of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit outshines all darkness, is destroying all shadow, and not only gives us what we need, He gives us amazingly grand things to meet those needs.

But the most amazing blessing, the prime blessing, the first blessing is grace.

For the next while, let’s focus on the best blessing… the Grace of God. 

What a blessing.

Self-Control

Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. (Titus 2:6 ESV)

Self-control

God has given (and repeatedly gives) His people the ability and desire to love, be joyful, pursue peace, be patient, be kind, be good, be faithful, and be gentle.

We are not very good at using those gifts.

A while ago, a family gave me a mandolin.  I was trying to learn how to play, but had trouble.  My fingers almost have muscle memory for guitar chords, and mandolin chords were obviously different.  And my new mandolin chords were messing with my ability to play guitar chords without thinking.

It was hard, and I was not very good at it.

Playing at a dinner, when I finished the rote-memorized song, an observer whispered to me, “wow, two of those chords were beyond you!”  It was embarrassing, but correct.

I almost gave up.

And then, when I was complaining about the tricksy mandolin, a musician friend told me that the mandolin strings and chords were not simply randomly different than a guitar… but the mandolin was exactly the same as a guitar, but upside down.

Suddenly the mandolin became playable.

All I needed was the key.

The key to the fruits of the spirit is self-control.

We can do all of the other gifts, if we have self-control.  It seems rather obvious.  We need to choose to love, find joy, and the rest. 

And that seems hard.  We don’t do very well at them.

But another fruit from the spirit is self-control.

God enables us, God strengthens us, God empowers us.  

It starts by surrendering our days to Him.  We struggle with the fruits when we try to do them ourselves.  But surrendering to God releases the other fruit.

Self-control, also, is a fruit.

Gentleness

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1 ESV)

Gentleness

Many Christians have come to believe the modern quip that talk is cheap, and that actions speak louder than words.  While it is, of course, true that unfulfilled promises, hypocritical statements, and say one thing, but do another, display lack of character, our words actually are of primary importance.

It is our words that show our heart, not our eyes.  Actions performed without explanation are often misinterpreted.  Words build up or destroy more commonly than deeds.

Gentleness, too, is not found only in what we choose to do.  Gentleness can be understood as the choice not to exert our strength, when given an opportunity.

But the choice to be gentle is also found in how we speak, what we say, our words, statements, and utterances.

Not only because words can cut and hurt, but because the things we way, and the way that we say them, show the present condition of our heart, the strength of our sanctification, and our desire to love.

Soft answers, meaning gentle words, seem to be less common these days.  As we become more socially, politically, and personally polarized, our words more and more become weapons and means to immediate victory.

But our words can also be winsome and attractive.  Not just for our own sake, but for the Kingdom’s sake.  For the demonstration of the gospel.

Truth must be spoken clearly … but our words can be gentle.

God’s Word must be brought to bear… but our words can be gentle.

All of the gospel, including the need for the gospel, must be presented without compromise… but our words can be gentle.

Even when we are right, and everyone around is wrong.

How we speak is a matter of choice.

Gentleness is a fruit.

Faithfulness

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

Faithfulness

General George Patton was famous for finishing what he started, even annoyingly so.  From the first time he put on a US Army uniform, when he started to carry out an order, he finished carrying out that order.  He was therefore known for burning the midnight oil, digging eternal ditches, and not giving up before the finish line.

That is a hard way to live.  But it is a form of faithfulness.

We who are God’s servants might desire to be more like Patton.  Looking back at the end of the day, we often realize that we gave up too soon on some task that we believed He set before us.

We stopped forgiving, when it became too hard (and well before 70 times 7!!!).  We stopped loving when it became too hard (and well before we reached Christ’s standard of love). We stopped praying, reading His Word, and listening to Him, when it became too hard (and well before He was done communicating with us).

It is hard to be faithful.

But Paul assures us that we will become more like Patton, NOT through our effort, or will, or practice.  But because God, we actually started us on His path, will bring us through to the end.

In fact, we will be exactly as faithful, at the end of our path, that He wanted us to be!  His sovereignty ensures that.  We will not be as faithful as we desire, or hope, or aim at… but He finishes us right where He wants us to be.  He brings us to completion.

Choosing to be faithful is not really choosing to try harder, grit our teeth, or be more successful.  Choosing to be faithful means that we throw ourselves at HIS merciful work in our lives.  Choosing to be faithful means that we acknowledge it is HIM who enables us to finish whatever we are able to finish.

He gives us faithfulness.

Because faithfulness is a gift.

Goodness

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9 ESV)

Goodness

Statesman Winston Churchill, caught dosing in the middle of a parliamentary debate quipped in self-defense, “Being right is tiring.”

I am not sure I know what he meant.  But I do know that being good is tiring.

Goodness, because it is the opposite of selfishness, takes effort.  Goodness, because it is an act of submission to God’s will instead of my own, takes effort.  Goodness, because it is usually not noticed or immediately rewarded, takes effort.

But we Christians have the fruit of goodness growing in us.  The more we practice it, the easier it can become.  The more we choose goodness, the more naturally that choice occurs.  The more we desire goodness, the more clear good choices become.

And while we do not choose to do good with expectation of cheers and personal benefit, Paul here notes that planting goodness will reap something. 

But what it reaps is not profit, awards, honor, or decoration.  The reaped result of goodness are these things: When we choose goodness, we choose being more like our hero, Jesus.  When we choose goodness, we choose freedom from the slavery of self.  When we choose goodness, we choose the joy of walking with our beloved Savior.  When we choose goodness, we choose the real peace of fellowship with God.

Goodness is its own reward.  And we can choose it!

Because goodness is a fruit.

Kindness

A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. (Proverbs 11:17 ESV)

Kindness

I recently ate at a local restaurant, and the serving staff was not kind.  We had some cutlery issues, and while the matter was eventually resolved, it was clear that helping us was not a priority.  I recently heard of a dental procedure, that while medically correct, was not carried out with kindness.  The employee was gruff, not responsive to pain, and impatient.  I recently dealt on the phone with a sales representative.  While my questions were answered efficiently, the operator was cold, bored, and hurried.

In each case, the employee undoubtably had rational explanations for their lack of kindness.  Kindness is not efficient.  Kindness is not immediately profitable.  Kindness is time-consuming.

But also in each case, I will not likely do business with those establishments.

Not only is kindness a characteristic of Christians, who display kindness as a fruit, but kindness is a long term investment in relationships.  Not only do Christians get to reflect Christ’s kindness in our kindness, but that kindness will be favorably received.  Not only do Christians have the Spirit-given ability to choose kindness, but kindness itself bears grand and joyful fruit.

Christ shows the way, and we get to follow Him in kindness.

Because kindness is a fruit.

Patient

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; (Psalm 37:7 ESV)

Patient

It is easy to be patient standing in line behind a cute toddler.  It is harder to be patient waiting for a highly trained physician in a fancy office. 

The ‘higher’ the individual, the ‘higher’ our expectations. 

So when this Psalm instructs us to wait patiently for the Lord, it might be a difficult command.  We know the Lord’s capabilities.  We know the Lord’s opportunities.  We know what the Lord can do, has done, and has promised to do.

And we want results, now.

But we can actually be patient, with God, and with each other.

On the one hand, our patience can flow from our knowledge of how amazing God is, and our trust that He loves His people.  Realizing those two things can cause us to be willing to wait on Him, for Him, and in Him.

On the other hand, because patience is a fruit that Christians have, we can choose to be patient.

Choose to trust and be patient.  Choose to hope and be patient.  Choose to relax and be patient.  Choose to be content and be patient.

Because patience is a fruit.

Peace

…seek peace and pursue it. (Psalm 34:14b)

Peace

Robert Frost writes famously about a fork in the road, wherein the poet chooses the less travelled pathway.

The choice of peace is like that.

Most of the references to Peace in the Bible refer to God giving us peace, God giving us reason for peace, God giving us environments of peace, and God giving us opportunity for peace.

Every crisis, perhaps, is an opportunity to choose the peace of God, or the chaos of the world. 

Every major life event, perhaps, is an opportunity to choose the peace of God, or the insecurity of self-service.

Every decision, perhaps, is a chance to choose the peace of God, or the more popular path of rebellion against Him.

It begins with the decision to choose God’s way of salvation, Christ, instead of mankind’s way, works.

And from then on, Christians always have the option of peace.

Choose the path less followed.

Because peace is a fruit.

Joy

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! …Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! (Psalm 32:11 and Psalm 33:1 ESV)

Be Joyful

Psalm 32 ends with a command to be joyful.  The next Psalm begins with the same command.  Depending on how we understand verb tenses, it appears that Scripture contains over 300 commands to be joyful.

That is a lot of commands.

I enjoy a snack of mixed nuts most bedtimes.  In our pantry, we have a plastic tub of them.  But I do not really have those nuts, unless I choose to eat them.

Christians have joy, because we know that our loving, gracious, kind, and fantastic God is in complete charge of the universe, and my tiny life.

But we sometimes do not choose to be joyful.  We choose instead to wallow in sorrow.  We choose to notice the shadow instead of the light.  We choose to be skeptical of God’s goodness, instead of trusting Him.  We choose to appear wise in the eyes of the world, instead of being joyful fools for Jesus.

Joyful joy is in us.  Choose to feel it, embrace it, and express it.

Because joy is a fruit.

Love

Love

Love one another with brotherly affection. (Romans 12:10 ESV)

Love

In my ever-advancing progression towards becoming a cyborg, I have a sensor in my arm that enables me to test my blood sugar levels.  It is pretty cool.

But even though I own that sensor, even though that sensor is embedded in my arm, even though the valuable information is right there… I still have to hold a sensor reader near to the sensor.

The sensor and the information are mine.  But accessing it and using it require a decision, and action.

In much the same way, Christians have love embedded in our arms.  We have been given, through Christ, the ability to understand the simplicity of Love (always always always the OTHER person first), the ability to actually love (following the example of our brother, Jesus), and the ability to want to love, and be selfish no more.

But it does require a decision.

It helps that we are deciding to do something that we have been given the ability to do.  We CAN love.

It helps that we are deciding to do something that God commands us to do.  He desires us to love, and has told us.

It helps that we have had moments that we DID love.  Repeats are easier than initial attempts.

It helps that loving is actually natural for Christians. 

Because love is a fruit.

God's Self Control

For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6 ESV)

God’s Self-Control

If I were God, I do not think I would be so gentle with me, so patient with me, so loving of me.  Through my life I have been unfaithful, unrighteous, and unworthy.

Yet He has not consumed me.

More than that, He has blessed me, blessed me, and blessed me.

Even though it is odd to think of God having self-control, it seems to me that His mercy and grace towards sinners displays exactly that.

He is under no one else’s authority.  In Job 40:6 through 41:34, God demonstrates that God is GOD.  No one else controls Him.  He controls everything.

In that sense, He has the most self-control of all!

And His self-control is what enables the universe to exist, and His people to be safe in Him.

God Himself is the gift of self-control.

God's Gentleness

You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. (Psalm 18:35 ESV)

God’s gentleness

Many years ago I knew a giant.  He was not really a giant, I know, but already in elementary school he stood head and shoulder taller than almost anyone in town.  He was tall, he was wide, and most of all, that boy was strong.

His mother, I was told, reminded him every morning, “You are stronger than anyone else.  Be gentle.”  He was.  He played football, and it was very hard to coach him to tackle.  Because he knew he was called to be gentle.

If he had been a scrawny thin kid, his gentleness would have been nice, but not noticeable.

But a big strong tough hombre like him… his gentleness stood out and had meaning.

Our God is gentle.

And He is bigger and stronger and tougher than my young friend.  So His gentleness is amazing!

God Himself is the gift of gentleness.

God's Goodness

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him. (Nahum 1:7 ESV)

God’s Goodness

In the film, True Grit, (in either version) young Maddie Ross needs help.  She tracks down a tracker, Rooster Cogburn, an irascible old curmudgeon.  He agrees, regretfully, to assist, but through the movie one is never quite sure whether Rooster is wearing a white hat, a black hat, or a dirty hat.

In the entertainment world, whether literature, big screen, or little screen, it has become popular to blur the line between good guys and bad guys.  Good guys are given questionable motives.  Bad guys are shown to have hearts of gold. 

But with God, such lines are not blurred.

God is good.

And His goodness is a gift to His people.

When we call out to Him, we do not need to feel insecure like Maddie Ross.  He is good, a stronghold, a fortress, who knows His beloved people.

God Himself is the gift of goodness.

God's Kindness

For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 117:2 NASB)

God’s Kindness

I have known many kind people.  People who were thoughtful, selfless, interested, and well… nice.

But God’s kindness transcends them all in this way.  Kindness is more amazing when the recipient is undeserving.  The policeman who helps a wheelchaired pedestrian cross a busy street is kind.  The policeman who helps a rebellious gang-member cross a busy street is kinder.  The mother who bakes a delicious multi-layered birthday cake for one of her children is kind.  The mother who bakes a delicious multi-layered birthday cake for the juvenile delinquent cat-killing neighbor is kinder. 

God’s kindness to His people is all the more astounding and rich because we do not deserve it.

It could have been patronizing, but it is not.  It could have been didactic, but it is not.  It could have been conditional but it is not.  It could have been merely a reward, but it is not.

God’s kindness is part of Who He is.  And He acts in kindness as a gift.

God Himself is the gift of kindness.

God's Patience

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4 ESV)

God’s Patience

The next few weeks I will be on the road a lot.  And I am already impatient for the end of each trip.  The source of my impatience, I think, is that the trips are good things… and I both can’t wait for the good things, AND I am slightly unsure that things will be as good as I hope.

But God does not have impatience.

The end of the week is as sure as the beginning, for God.  The end of each process is as sure as the beginning for God.  The stages along the way are as sure as the beginning, for God.

He knows our end, which means our salvation.

He knows our struggles, which means He knows their end.

He knows our hearts and souls, which means He knows who we WILL be, for a lot longer than who we HAVE been.

He is patient, and our trust in Him enables us to be patient, too.

God Himself is the gift of patience.