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But where sin increased, grace increased all the more. – Romans 5:20

Last week, I took a short topical study about grace. God supplies all that we need for all of all circumstances. That is why when sin increases that grace increases more. God gives us more grace in times when sin is at your door. Therefore we are not to offer judgment for the sin of those around us. We are to tap into that grace God is offering and give it to others.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to convict the world of judgment, but that is because the prince of this world is the one condemned (John 6:11). Condemnation and judgment is not for the sons of man anymore. We are ministers of reconciliation and grace (2 Corinthians 5:11 and 1 Peter 4:10).

Our calling is to love others with the love that we have received. And, how did we receive it? We received it freely, lavishly, and without expecting anything in return. Go and do likewise. Our reward is from God and not man. Do you see someone in sin? Then there is someone who is in need of more love. Attack!

And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. – Luke 2:40

I have grown up in the faith being taught and believing that grace is the unmerited favor of God for believers. Since mercy is not getting something your deserve, then grace is getting something you don’t deserve. And where this makes definitions easy to remember, they cannot be right. If they are, then Jesus would have no need for grace. Jesus fulfilled the law perfectly. Therefore, Jesus would have merited and deserved blessings from God.

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! – Romans 5:15

Grace was manifested in Jesus’ life and ministry and then distributed to us who believe. Where the death passed down by Adam gave us the power to sin, grace was passed down by Jesus giving us the ability to live in life. It is the power to live to God’s standard. Grace came through Jesus, came on the disciples, provided by God, and we can grow in it (references: John 1:17, Acts 4:33, 2 Corinthians 1:2, and 2 Peter 3:18).

The question should then be, how do we grow in grace? We need to love it, treasure it, pursue it, and give it away. God supplies what we need for all our circumstances.

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“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” – Galatians 5:1

Freedom is very important to God (Galatians 5:1-15). He is not trying to control us, but what does it mean that it is for freedom you have been set free (v.1)?

Free people have the right to choose. You can make good choices or bad choice, but they are your choices. That’s why God put the tree He did not want us to eat in the middle of the garden. He wanted to give Adam and Eve the choice to follow Him. That’s why the father of the prodigal son allows his son to go with his half of the inheritance. God knows if you don’t have a choice than it cannot really be called love.

Some may argue that God hasn’t given us freedom, but instead a lot of rules. First in the Old Testament He gives Moses 10 commandments, then in the New Testament He make them harder. I would agree that the rules have in themselves have gotten harder, but God is not trying to get us to conform to rules anymore. Jesus fulfilled the law because we never could. Now that the pressure to obey is gone, we can see the heart of God behind the rules. Rules in themselves subvert dependence and deny you responsibility for your decisions. God is aiming to lead us to greater faith where are dependence is on God to keep us from going astray (v.6).

The whole offense of the cross was that we did not have to do anything to become righteous before God (v.11). Why were people going around insisting circumcision? They were trying to insist that you must do something to prove to God that you are worthy. Paul’s issue was not that circumcision (or any part of the law for that matter) was bad; it was the heart that you must earn God’s favor.

• “Life does not come from what we can muster or avoid, but from the connection to the Spirit who entered the tomb to lead you to your new home.”
• “Abundant life and freedom go hand in hand. Life is found by removing the things holding you back.”
• “The reason people don’t go to God is they don’t believe He is for them.”
• “Do not be offended by God, He will do more for you than you ask or imagine.”
• “No one will love you better than Jesus – not your friends, fears, addictions, self, etc.”
• “As you let your mind focus on God’s goodness, your faith will rise up.”
• “Jesus loves you and is for you. What are you afraid of?”
• “Nothing can pluck you from God’s hands – not even your wayward heart.”
• “Jesus defeated Satan. Good > evil. Don’t let evil [sin, sickness, fears] keep you from good.”
• “Nothing can separate you from the love of Christ, so don’t let it get far from your mind.”
• “Jesus is not intimidated or embarrassed by darkness. He overcame it and loved those in it.”
• “Too many Christians are satisfied that earth is the closest they’ll come to hell that they are not willing to bring more of heaven here.”
• If you don’t love your spouse, you can only halfway love your kids because they are art you AND part your spouse.
• Jesus died for your sins not your shame. Shame is to be rebuked with what God says about you.
• Holiness is not you ceasing to sin, but firmly holding to what Jesus gave you.
• God hears your prayers because He loves you.

image courtesy of The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

“I just don’t want to get ahead of God. I’m just not sure which way He is leading, so I’m just waiting.”

We have all heard people say these things; we may have even said them ourselves. The more I walk with God, I think that God is generally not so concerned if we get ahead of Him. I think He is just happy to see movement.

Now there are times God does have us to wait, but for the most part, if we are seeking God’s heart and wanting to honor Him in our actions, we are free with our actions. This doesn’t mean we can be selfish and careless with our sin – there was a condition of wanting to honor God. What it does mean is that if you are trying to do what is right in God’s eyes, He is not worried about what we will do.

There’s the story of Peter in the garden. The guards come to arrest Jesus. They have so much trouble keeping their feet that Jesus has to lead them through the arrest. Peter sees their weakness and seizes the opportunity to attack. He cuts off one of the servant’s ear.

Peter in this moment is moving in the complete outside direction of God. Jesus is moving to the cross. Peter is trying to keep Him alive.

The point that is sticking out to me is that even though Peter was heading in the wrong direction, Jesus stops him, corrects his mistake and moves on (Luke 22:50-52).

image courtesy of Milkbomb

I recently heard a story from Graham Cooke on that I feel reveals what it looks like for us as believers to Ask, Seek, and Knock in prayer (Matthew 7:7-8). This example shows Cooke’s persistence in prayer and his pursuit of intimacy with the Lord. I would love to hear others’ thoughts on this story.

What is Your Highest Good For Me in My Present Circumstances?

Graham Cooke

I was on a plane headed to Australia from San Francisco. I had just done a couple of events and I was pretty tired. I’ve got a 16 and half hour flight in front of me and I’m driving to the airport and I’m praying, “God can you just me favor?” Can you give me an upgrade? You know, just give me a great seat. Give me an upgrade on the plane so I can get there refreshed.

Flight to Australia is full. No upgrades possible. So, ok. I’m still pursuing my favor. OK, Lord, can you make the flight time go faster? Half an hour into the flight the pilot gets on and says we have a really serious headwind and it is going to add three hours to the journey. I’m thinking OK, what’s my next bit of favor?

Lord, can you put me to sleep on the flight. Just knock me out. Put me to sleep. I’d no sooner said amen than behind me there’s a baby starts crying. And, I mean, whaling like every physical bodily ailment babies can get had come together at one-place at one-time. This kid is whaling. So, I sat there thinking, am I missing something?

image courtesy of Jason Upton’s website

I recently heard Jason Upton’s adoption story repeated and loved how God strung together different events to show His love. Jason Upton is a worship leader often compared to Keith Green – whose passion for the Lord comes clearly through his music. His story is that he is adopted, and recently as he had gotten older decided the need to pursue finding his birth parents. What he found out was the amazing hand of God fulfilling his destiny.

Jason’s mom became a Christian in the late 60′s early 70′s in the Jesus movement. She loved Jesus then fell for this man who was “not yet” a believer. In Jason’s words he was the fruit of evangelism gone bad. A few months into the pregnancy his mom decided she wanted to get an abortion. Jason’s dad talked her out of it.

Three months after Jason was born, Jason was placed in the home of his adoptive parents. During this time his mom put together a box of memories for Jason. She included pictures of him, the house, and his parents. She also included his story and a prayer she had written out.

This adoption was considered a closed adoption. This is where the only way for Jason or the parents to find out who the other was is through mutual consent. So some time after Jason contacted the adoption agency with his request, he received this box. He opened the box, looked through the pictures, and read the prayer. His mom had prayed that Jason would one day become a worshiper and lead others into worship. God had answered her prayer without Jason knowing it was prayed for him and without his mom knowing it was fulfilled.

Shame Off You is written by Alan Wright, the pastor of church I was a member. I also had the privilege of leading a 4-week follow up class for Pastor Alan after he held a conference at his church, Reynolda. I say this as a disclaimer, but it is a very good book and worthy of your time. Shame is an important topic that often goes ignored and therefore many people are hindered in their walks with God as shame goes unaddressed. Shame will keep you from approaching God with your requests and keep you from living out who God has called you to be. Here are some thoughts from the book that I hope would encourage you to take the time to read it.

1. The world is filled with people under the weight of shame. Knowing you have to measure up in order to feel acceptable while knowing that you can’t quite measure up leaves you with a gnawing anxiety that wreaks havoc in your soul. We might recognize them as lies, but since the shame feels true, we live out of them. Other people also put shame on us. It is a common motivator in today’s world, and while it can get us to try harder, it never sets us free.
2. No matter what degree of shame you have experienced, you have a chance to let go of judgment, bitterness, and unforgiveness. Healing comes not just from the acknowledgment of the pain, but the forgiveness you choose to give. Forgiving does not mean denying or excusing the shame you suffered, but rather it means letting go of its hold on your heart. The issue is never the capacity to forgive, but whether you desire to forgive.