When we are driving and get upset with the person that cuts us off, or chew out the person on our tail or look down upon someone making a "stupid" decision on the road, I'm convinced it's a gospel issue.
Maybe you feel justified to make comments about other drivers or maybe you think it's just a matter of holding your tongue. When in reality, as a Christian, it is none of these. You see, road rage and even hints of it start in the heart, and shows how well we understand and appreciate what Jesus did for us on that cross.
I was driving with some friends in Dallas traffic this last semester and something interesting was pointed out. One guy noticed that my friend who was driving was not getting upset with people on the road like he used to and I loved his response. He basically said that over that semester the Lord had shown him how much grace He has on his life and so it was then much easier and natural to show others simple grace on the road. This left me thinking about how true that is.
Before I realized how much grace God has truly and abundantly placed on my life, I was quick to be cynical on the road. When I realized how much I had offended God and how many times I disobeyed or disrespected him yet was showered with grace my driving habits changed. When you realize you deserve hell and are completely ill-deserving of the grace that was abundantly given to you, grace pours out of you and onto ill-deserving people like ourselves. What if we all drove as if our lives had been exponentially changed? What if we pardoned people like we have been pardoned? So many times when I start to get irritated with another driver, I have to pray that God will remind me of how much grace He has shown me or remind myself that I have done so much worse to God than cutting him off or not letting Him in. After all, when we lack self-control, godliness, or brotherly affection on the road, it is because we have forgotten that we were cleansed from our former sins (2 Peter 1:5-9). One of my friends and I who drive a lot together have a joke where whenever we get frustrated with another driver, we sing "Grace, grace, God's grace...grace that is greater than all our sin." This has become our funny way of reminding ourselves that God's grace on us is so much bigger and covers so many of our sins toward Him.
Oh that His grace may continually change the core of who we are and how we act.
If you realize that this is a struggle in your life right now, I encourage you to start by praying that God will make the earth-shattering beauty of His grace toward you come alive, that you may see how ill-deserving you are of the abundant grace poured out on you. Correcting hints of road rage doesn't start with a list of methods. It starts with the heart, and the heart is directly linked to the understanding and appreciation you have for the great, great gospel of Jesus Christ.
Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grace. Show all posts
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Today's Barabbas
There I was, consumed with pride, rebellion, lust, selfishness, shame, and lies. A rebel with a wandering heart. Ill-deserving of anything but the jail cell I sat in, expecting my soon judgement. When will they come to get me? When will they call my name? What will it be like to walk to that cross in front of all the people I have hurt? I fully deserve to be spat upon and cursed as I make that walk. Surely, I will walk with my head down, feeling the pain and shame I fully deserve. I expect nothing less of a harsh punishment. I know that time is coming when they call my name, release me from my prison, and lead me down the road to my final judgement in front of all whom I have hurt. When will they call my name?
I sat there waiting, then I heard my name. I knew what was to come in my final hour. The guards came in, grabbed me, chains and all. My bondage covering me, they dragged me outside.
Then, I heard the word: Pardoned.
A man, fully innocent and ill-deserving of my deserved punishment got up and entered into the walk I was anticipating.
I sat there, in absolute shock as someone chose to take my place. Why would you pardon a sinner like me? Why would you willingly walk the road I fully deserved to walk? I never felt that kind of love before.
Speechless, I watched as that man was scourged. "They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him." Matthew 27:28-31
That scarlet robe was meant for me. Those thorns were meant to be pushed into my head. That spit was supposed to be on my face. Those beatings were supposed to scourge my back,
That cross was meant for me.
That man was Jesus. I am today's Barabbas.
I did absolutely nothing to earn His pardon. Not only am I undeserving of that grace, but I am ill-deserving. I have absolutely nothing to bring to the table. Absolutely nothing. How in the world does God desire to show me, the worst of sinners, grace? By His death, I am FREE! I have been given LIFE, and life to the fullest (John 10:10). It's not about how can God send people to Hell, but how in the world can He show people grace? Here's the even crazier thing...not only did my Jesus pardon me when I became a Christian, but He pardons me every day. Oh how vast the love and grace of Jesus! There is nothing I could ever do to earn that grace and salvation. Just like Barabbas, I bring nothing to the table. There is no amount of works that could have earned me grace. It is fully the grace of my Jesus. If I could lose my salvation, I would have never received it from day one. There's absolutely no way I could ever have gained that favor.
Does Easter truly excite you that you have been fully pardoned, every day?
The moment the gospel does not excite us and bring us to our knees is because we have forgotten the gospel. Do you further your faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love everyday? 2 Peter 1:9 says that if you are lacking these things, it is because you are so nearsighted, that you are blind, having forgotten that you were cleansed from your former sins.
I dare us to live as if we are pardoned. I dare us to remember the gospel daily. I dare us to not just think about the gospel this weekend, but for us to allow it to penetrate our hearts daily, so we may be reminded of how much we don't deserve Him and be reminded of the grace that our Jesus so fully brings. We have a special hope, as our Savior is ALIVE. Will you dare to live like He is alive?
I sat there waiting, then I heard my name. I knew what was to come in my final hour. The guards came in, grabbed me, chains and all. My bondage covering me, they dragged me outside.
Then, I heard the word: Pardoned.
A man, fully innocent and ill-deserving of my deserved punishment got up and entered into the walk I was anticipating.
I sat there, in absolute shock as someone chose to take my place. Why would you pardon a sinner like me? Why would you willingly walk the road I fully deserved to walk? I never felt that kind of love before.
Speechless, I watched as that man was scourged. "They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying "Hail, King of the Jews!" And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him." Matthew 27:28-31
That scarlet robe was meant for me. Those thorns were meant to be pushed into my head. That spit was supposed to be on my face. Those beatings were supposed to scourge my back,
That cross was meant for me.
That man was Jesus. I am today's Barabbas.
"BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were DEAD in our trespasses, made us ALIVE together with Christ. By GRACE you have been saved." Ephesians 2: 4-5
I did absolutely nothing to earn His pardon. Not only am I undeserving of that grace, but I am ill-deserving. I have absolutely nothing to bring to the table. Absolutely nothing. How in the world does God desire to show me, the worst of sinners, grace? By His death, I am FREE! I have been given LIFE, and life to the fullest (John 10:10). It's not about how can God send people to Hell, but how in the world can He show people grace? Here's the even crazier thing...not only did my Jesus pardon me when I became a Christian, but He pardons me every day. Oh how vast the love and grace of Jesus! There is nothing I could ever do to earn that grace and salvation. Just like Barabbas, I bring nothing to the table. There is no amount of works that could have earned me grace. It is fully the grace of my Jesus. If I could lose my salvation, I would have never received it from day one. There's absolutely no way I could ever have gained that favor.
Does Easter truly excite you that you have been fully pardoned, every day?
The moment the gospel does not excite us and bring us to our knees is because we have forgotten the gospel. Do you further your faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love everyday? 2 Peter 1:9 says that if you are lacking these things, it is because you are so nearsighted, that you are blind, having forgotten that you were cleansed from your former sins.
I dare us to live as if we are pardoned. I dare us to remember the gospel daily. I dare us to not just think about the gospel this weekend, but for us to allow it to penetrate our hearts daily, so we may be reminded of how much we don't deserve Him and be reminded of the grace that our Jesus so fully brings. We have a special hope, as our Savior is ALIVE. Will you dare to live like He is alive?
Monday, March 24, 2014
Uncomfortable Grace
As beautiful as grace is, it can be more than uncomfortable at times, but it is still grace.
Out of obedience, they climbed into a boat and sailed off, only to be met by a massive storm. Their boat rocked back and forth and went nowhere for about 8 hours, no matter how hard these men tried to sail out. They painfully tried with all their strength for hour after hour, but everything was against them. They were discouraged. They were exhausted. They were terrified. They were uncomfortable.
Then, as they are sitting there, trying with all their strength to sail out of the storm and make headway, they see what seems like a ghost walking on the water. They cried out, only to find it was Jesus. Seeing how terrified these sailors were, Jesus told them not to be afraid. Then, like a father, entered into their pain with them and got into the boat and calmed the sea.
I'm sure the disciples were wondering where in the world Jesus was. The last time He was with them in a storm, He simply spoke and the storm immediately ceased. I'm sure they probably thought since He was not showing up, He didn't care about them and was not in control. Funny how we are the same, isn't it? Trials come and we immediately think Jesus isn't for us. We immediately think He must not care or He would have stopped our trial and made everything good again.
Jesus' reaction is full of grace and compassion. He doesn't tell them to suck it up. He enters in their pain with them. He crawls into their pain and loves them.
The disciples were doing exactly what they were supposed to do. Jesus had told them to get into a boat and go to the other side. Do you ever feel like you are obediently following your sweet Jesus, and storms come? In those times we are quick to think He is not showing grace; however, He is...He is showing uncomfortable grace.
Jesus placed them in a boat in a storm so He could produce in them what only He can: trust and dependency.
I can relate to the disciples in so many ways. For example, right now I know I am in the exact major the Lord wants me to be in. He has made that clear and I am walking in obedience. However, there is a class that is let's just say placing me on the struggle bus. It's frustrating and I don't always feel like my sweet Jesus is truly helping me. Does He care about something so little? If He cares, why is it such a struggle right now?
It's because he is teaching me dependency through uncomfortable grace. He is showing me grace because He loves me enough to let me struggle as He knows how important and life-giving dependency on Christ is, even when I struggle over and over again through self-reliance. Grace isn't always comfortable, but I am so thankful for storms that teach me the most life-giving things, even when I try to fix them myself before crying out to my sweet Savior.
So often, we are crying out for grace, not realizing we are covered in it. No, it's not the grace of ease and relief, but it's the grace we so desperately need. God is prying our hands open so the things that control us, such as self-reliance and the things that don't truly satisfy us fall freely out of our hands so we can truly grasp the satisfying saving grace of a sweet father that loves us beyond our
inadequacies.
Are you experiencing uncomfortable grace right now? Our sweet Jesus uses it to develop in us what only He can. During that struggle, He enjoys being a father to us, as He gently and lovingly enters into our pain. Will you let Him in? He has the power to stop every trial, hurt, and heart ache with a single word, but that is not what is always best for us. He loves you enough to make things uncomfortable at times.
Mark 6:45-52
Out of obedience, they climbed into a boat and sailed off, only to be met by a massive storm. Their boat rocked back and forth and went nowhere for about 8 hours, no matter how hard these men tried to sail out. They painfully tried with all their strength for hour after hour, but everything was against them. They were discouraged. They were exhausted. They were terrified. They were uncomfortable.
Then, as they are sitting there, trying with all their strength to sail out of the storm and make headway, they see what seems like a ghost walking on the water. They cried out, only to find it was Jesus. Seeing how terrified these sailors were, Jesus told them not to be afraid. Then, like a father, entered into their pain with them and got into the boat and calmed the sea.
I'm sure the disciples were wondering where in the world Jesus was. The last time He was with them in a storm, He simply spoke and the storm immediately ceased. I'm sure they probably thought since He was not showing up, He didn't care about them and was not in control. Funny how we are the same, isn't it? Trials come and we immediately think Jesus isn't for us. We immediately think He must not care or He would have stopped our trial and made everything good again.
Jesus' reaction is full of grace and compassion. He doesn't tell them to suck it up. He enters in their pain with them. He crawls into their pain and loves them.
The disciples were doing exactly what they were supposed to do. Jesus had told them to get into a boat and go to the other side. Do you ever feel like you are obediently following your sweet Jesus, and storms come? In those times we are quick to think He is not showing grace; however, He is...He is showing uncomfortable grace.
Jesus placed them in a boat in a storm so He could produce in them what only He can: trust and dependency.
I can relate to the disciples in so many ways. For example, right now I know I am in the exact major the Lord wants me to be in. He has made that clear and I am walking in obedience. However, there is a class that is let's just say placing me on the struggle bus. It's frustrating and I don't always feel like my sweet Jesus is truly helping me. Does He care about something so little? If He cares, why is it such a struggle right now?
It's because he is teaching me dependency through uncomfortable grace. He is showing me grace because He loves me enough to let me struggle as He knows how important and life-giving dependency on Christ is, even when I struggle over and over again through self-reliance. Grace isn't always comfortable, but I am so thankful for storms that teach me the most life-giving things, even when I try to fix them myself before crying out to my sweet Savior.
So often, we are crying out for grace, not realizing we are covered in it. No, it's not the grace of ease and relief, but it's the grace we so desperately need. God is prying our hands open so the things that control us, such as self-reliance and the things that don't truly satisfy us fall freely out of our hands so we can truly grasp the satisfying saving grace of a sweet father that loves us beyond our
inadequacies.
"Grace will enable you to face shocking truths about yourself that you have hesitated to consider, while freeing you from being self-consciously introspective. Grace will confront you with profound weaknesses, and at the same time bless you with new-found strength. Grace will tell you again and again what you aren't, while welcoming you again and again to what you can now be. Grace will make you as uncomfortable as you have ever been, while offering you a more lasting comfort than you have never before known .Grace will work to drive you to the end of yourself, while it invites you to fresh starts and new beginnings. Grace will dash your ill-founded hopes, but never walk away and leave you hopeless. Grace will decimate your little kingdom of one as it introduces you to a much, much better King. Grace will expose to you the extent of your blindness as it gives you eyes to see what you so desperately need to see. Grace will make you sadder than you have ever been, while it gives you greater cause for celebration than you have ever known." John Piper
Are you experiencing uncomfortable grace right now? Our sweet Jesus uses it to develop in us what only He can. During that struggle, He enjoys being a father to us, as He gently and lovingly enters into our pain. Will you let Him in? He has the power to stop every trial, hurt, and heart ache with a single word, but that is not what is always best for us. He loves you enough to make things uncomfortable at times.
Mark 6:45-52
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