This is a shorter post, which I must apologuze for as it indeed has been a while since I have posted, but I feel forgiveness will be given from anyone who lives in the modern ameican world and has struggled to keep their head on straight.
However a prominent thought has been sticking out to me through this lent season, one I feel deserves a little publicity. This idea that grace is for sinners. The woman caught in adultry, judas iscariot, the woman at the well, the man hanging at the side of Jesus on Golgotha. All undeniably guilty. All publicly recieving shame. The woman was caught in the act. She was dragged naked to be stoned. She knew. The world knew.
Judas, though given silver for his betrayal was so overrun by guilt that he returned the silver and hanged himself and even today is scorned as the betrayer. The woman at the well worked in the hottest hours of the day to avoid the scorn and rejection of her fellow towns people. She knew she was rejectable. And the man hanging next to jesus proclaimed, we deserve our deaths, yet he is innocent. Yet all recieved grace.
The woman was given life. The sinless proclaimed I do not condemn you, go. He set her free from a life of shame.
Judas though would betray Jesus was chosen by Jesus. Jesus chose Judas (check out 24/7 prayer for more on this. They have a profound lent series).
The woman at the well was known fully. She proclaimed he told me all my sins and rejoiced for she was known, yet accepted. The theif saw Jesus in paradise.
All guilty.
All given grace.
And this grace was not just for Jesus current time, but stretched way before. I'm reading a series by Francine Rivers about the women in the line of Jesus. Though Rachel was the beloved wife of Jacob, it was Leah who was chosen to fall into lineage of the Jesus. Not only that, but several of the women in that line were not only canaanites or gentiles (women the Lord told his people not to mix with) but prostituted. Jesus chose the rejectable to be his people.
And that same grace reaches out today. I was chatting with my pastor the other day and she brought up the point that when we think of leading, especially in our modern age, we think of leading in our strengths. We think of displaying our best and that being the fruit of our leadership. No one thinks of leading in our weakness. Noone wants to, because the means to be exposed. That means our ugly side will show.
However only when our ugliness and shame is displayed can true grace be given Breath.
Thought of the day: amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.
However a prominent thought has been sticking out to me through this lent season, one I feel deserves a little publicity. This idea that grace is for sinners. The woman caught in adultry, judas iscariot, the woman at the well, the man hanging at the side of Jesus on Golgotha. All undeniably guilty. All publicly recieving shame. The woman was caught in the act. She was dragged naked to be stoned. She knew. The world knew.
Judas, though given silver for his betrayal was so overrun by guilt that he returned the silver and hanged himself and even today is scorned as the betrayer. The woman at the well worked in the hottest hours of the day to avoid the scorn and rejection of her fellow towns people. She knew she was rejectable. And the man hanging next to jesus proclaimed, we deserve our deaths, yet he is innocent. Yet all recieved grace.
The woman was given life. The sinless proclaimed I do not condemn you, go. He set her free from a life of shame.
Judas though would betray Jesus was chosen by Jesus. Jesus chose Judas (check out 24/7 prayer for more on this. They have a profound lent series).
The woman at the well was known fully. She proclaimed he told me all my sins and rejoiced for she was known, yet accepted. The theif saw Jesus in paradise.
All guilty.
All given grace.
And this grace was not just for Jesus current time, but stretched way before. I'm reading a series by Francine Rivers about the women in the line of Jesus. Though Rachel was the beloved wife of Jacob, it was Leah who was chosen to fall into lineage of the Jesus. Not only that, but several of the women in that line were not only canaanites or gentiles (women the Lord told his people not to mix with) but prostituted. Jesus chose the rejectable to be his people.
And that same grace reaches out today. I was chatting with my pastor the other day and she brought up the point that when we think of leading, especially in our modern age, we think of leading in our strengths. We think of displaying our best and that being the fruit of our leadership. No one thinks of leading in our weakness. Noone wants to, because the means to be exposed. That means our ugly side will show.
However only when our ugliness and shame is displayed can true grace be given Breath.
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