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Grace — Ad Infinitum

Noah Found Grace And So Can You

Noah’s story is a powerful reminder that none of us would be walking the planet, breathing in oxygen, or pursuing the unlimited potential of beings created with the Imago Dei were it not for God’s undeserved kindness and everlasting mercy. Thank God his mercy overrules his righteous anger and he gives us a second, third, fourth, ad infinitum chance!

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 6:7-8

And the Lord said, “I will wipe this human race I have created from the face of the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living thing—all the people, the large animals, the small animals that scurry along the ground, and even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made them.” But Noah found favor with the Lord.

Noah found grace (KJV) in the eyes of the Lord. Since I am named Noah, I will take that as a Divine promise to me! But if you, too, are walking with God, you can claim grace from the Almighty.  Thank God for grace—unmerited favor!

If you think about the original account of Noah, we would hope that this man whom God chose as both an instrument of world judgment and a conduit for a new genesis was a pretty likeable guy—worthy of Divine favor. And to be sure, Genesis 7:1 does tell us that by comparison to the rest of humanity at that time, Noah alone was righteous. Still, as John Chrysostom rightly noted, “Even if we stand at the very summit of virtue, it is by mercy that we shall be saved.” At the end of the day, Noah’s righteousness, and our best righteousness, is as filthy rags before a holy God. (Isaiah 64:6)

So theologically, we must conclude that this story is not so much about Noah’s worthiness as it is about God’s undeserved, unearned mercy and kindness. No matter how good Noah might have been, man’s best goodness will never stack up to God’s holiness. And that is simply an impossible equation that dooms man to eternal judgment.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah’s story reminds us that none of us—neither you nor I—would be walking the planet, breathing in oxygen, or pursuing the unlimited potential of beings created with the Imago Dei were it not for God’s undeserved kindness and everlasting mercy.

Noah’s story reminds us that even in the midst of darkness so dark that God repents of creating mankind, his grace overrides his broken heart, his mercy overrules his righteous anger and he gives us a second, third, fourth chance—grace ad infinitum!

Thank God that we, too, can find grace in the eyes of the Lord.

Going Deeper: Today might be a day to lift up a song of thanks to the Lord. How about Amazing Grace. Everybody knows it…so belt it out, even if it is the privacy of your inner room.

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The Imago Dei

The Spitting Image of My Father

You and I bear the likeness of our Heavenly Father. We are his spitting image! Though the Imago Dei might be tainted by sin, beneath the dents, scratches and rust is the very likeness of a loving, caring Father. Thank God, through Jesus, we have been, are being, and will be fully restored to the image of the One who created us to be like himself.

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 5:1,3

“When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself…When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him—in his very image.”

One of the greatest joys in life for me has been to have children that bear the likeness of my wife and me. Adding to that joy is having grandchildren who continue that likeness to generations beyond.

There is something deeply satisfying to know that, looking backward, I am connected to my father’s fathers, and looking forward, to know that I am living on in the generations to come. “In his likeness” is both an unstoppable force and a powerful gift of the Creator…the ability to procreate.

Most wonderful of all is to know that I bear the likeness of my Heavenly Father. I am his spitting image! So are you. Though the Imago Dei might be tainted by sin, beneath the dents, scratches and rust is the very likeness of a loving, caring Father.

Thank God, through Jesus, I have been, am being and will be fully restored to the image of the One who created me to be like himself. Really! That’s what John the Beloved said in his first epistle:

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God: therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And everyone that hath this hope in him puries himself, even as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3)

Thank God for his love, and for the divine image inextricably embedded in my DNA. Just as I can never stop loving my children and grandchild because they are a part of me, God can never stop loving me. I am a part of him and he is a part of me.

Going Deeper: You bear the family resemblance. You look like your Father. Now go live like it—especially in how you treat your fellow man!

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I Am Response-Able

#NotAVictim

In an age of victimization, blame-shifting and irresponsibility, we cannot escape the fact that God created us as responsible beings. We are accountable for saying “no” to sin. To those who would surrender to the power of sin, God says, “you must subdue it and be its master.”

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 4:6-7

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

I am grateful that God has made me responsible, that is, response-able. In an age of victimization, blame-shifting and irresponsibility, we cannot escape the fact that God created us as responsible beings. We are accountable!

That is really good news, as disappointing as it might seem to some, because sin wants to have dominion over me—that has always been and will always be the case. And it will continually dominate me if I accept that I am simply sin’s hapless victim, unable to overcome it. But God wants me to subdue it, to master it. And I can. I can because God has commanded me to “subdue it and be its master.”

God has gifted me with freedom of choice…one of the most powerful forces in the universe. I can choose my response in any given set of circumstances. Sin doesn’t control me; I do. I am the one who gives sin power over my actions. Likewise, I can tap into divine power within me to subdue sin when I submit to God’s will.

Thank God for his grace, “that has appeared, offering salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:11-13)

I have within me the power of no—I can say no to sin when it comes knocking at my door! The Apostle Paul put it powerfully in Romans 6:

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace…But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness…And now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:14, 17-18, 22-23)

Thank God, I am not a slave to my sin! In fact, according to the God who created me, I can enslave it and be its master.

Going Deeper: What is your familiar sin? Have a talk with it today; serve notice. There’s a new sheriff in town. You have been commissioned by God to master it and empowered by the Holy Spirit to kick its hiney back into the sin-bin!

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Not In Part But The Whole

God's Merciful Covering for Our Sinful Choices

God forgives us when he doesn’t have to, when we don’t deserve it, and with foreknowledge that he’ll have to freely pardon our sin again and again and again to get us into his heaven. If for no other reason today, you and I should be thankful for a merciful God who goes out of his way to forgive.

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 3:21

“And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.”

Adam and Eve sinned—and as the Bible tells us, “the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a) It was a stiff penalty, but if God was to be a just God, somebody had to die. And somebody did! In this case, as a remarkable foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross for the sin of the world, an animal was slain and its hide used to cover the sin-exposed human couple. Thus we are introduced to a God who is not only just, but whose mercy saves us from his justice: “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord.” (Romans 6:23b)

How loving, merciful and full of grace the Creator was—and still is—not to completely do away with his prized creation, man, because of his willful sin, to begin again with a newly created man. If God dealt with our sin as we deserve, who of us would stand a chance? (see Psalm 130:3) Perhaps no other writer captured the lovingkindness that emanates from the core of the Creator’s character as poignantly as the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23,

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Rather than judging us as we deserve, God covers our sin through the promised Redeemer (v. 15) who bore the punishment of our sin with his life, a redemptive reality foreshadowed by the covering of the original couple with skins of a sacrificed animal (v. 21).

Thank God for his mercies, given by his grace afresh and anew each day. “My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!” (Horatio Spafford)

Going Deeper: God forgave you when he didn’t have to, when you didn’t deserve it, and with the full foreknowledge that he will have to do it again and again and again to get you into his heaven. If for no other reason today, you should thank God for his mercy—that he doesn’t give you what you really deserve. Me, too!

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Every Breath You Take

Don't Waste A One

I take 23,040 breaths each day and will breathe in and breathe out the breath of life 8,409,600 this coming year. God willing, that will be over 8 million gifts of life from my Creator in 2020, who will have graciously, mercifully supplied every single one. If I have no other cause to offer thanks to God this year, I will still have at least 8,409,600 reasons.

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 2:7

“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

Fundamental to a life of gratitude is the recognition that even my very breath is a gift from my Creator.

I take 23,040 breaths each day and will breathe in and breathe out the breath of life 8,409,600 this coming year. If I live to be 80 years of age, I will have taken about 672,768,000 gifts of life from God, who has graciously, mercifully supplied every single one.

If I had no other cause to offer thanks to God today, I would still have 23,040 reasons. Tomorrow is a whole different matter!

Let everything that has breathe praise the Lord!

Going Deeper: 23,040 breaths today—23,040 reasons for gratitude. How many offerings of praise can you offer up to the Breath of Life Giver over the next twenty-four hours?

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God Did It!

All You Need To Know About Anything

All I need to know about anything and everything I learn in Genesis 1, which is simply yet profoundly this: God did it! In the opening line of the Bible, the first thing I discover about God is that he is the creator of all, and the second thing I learn is that he hovers over the chaos, bringing order, beauty and glory from it. And that is a great comfort to my soul, for that is his ongoing work in me—and you, too!

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 1:1-2

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

The first thing we learn about God in reading the Bible is that he is Creator. The second thing we learn is that he hovers over the chaos and brings order, beauty and glory from it.

Now in the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)  Jesus, who is God, whom John tells us was the agent of creation (John 1:1-4), is still actively creating and ordering in the lives of his followers.

I am grateful that through Jesus, creating and ordering is still God’s activity in my life. He is still forming beauty and glory out of my unruly, empty, dark chaotic life. And while it seems that I am a long way from being finished, I am at the present moment his workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)

Thank God for a Creator who finishes his work, for “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

Going Deeper: What do we learn from Genesis 1? Simply this: God did it. He started it all from nothing, he is shepherding what he started, and he will bring it to the completion he desires—he will finish it in fine fashion. That includes his work in your life, too. Take a moment to offer your gratitude for the Author and Finisher of your faith.

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Soul Happiness

Jesus’ Path to the Blessed Life

If we are going to be the kind of Christ-followers that God can bless, our behavior will have to align with our beliefs. What we “know” must become what we “do.” Specifically, we will have to live like Jesus lived, which means serving like Jesus served. Jesus made that perfectly clear when he said, “Since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13:13-15) That is Jesus’ path to the blessed life!

The Journey: John 13:17

Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

If we are going to be the kind of Christ-followers that God can bless, our behavior will have to align with our beliefs. What we “know” must become what we “do.” Specifically, we will have to live like Jesus lived, which means serving like Jesus served. Jesus made that perfectly clear when he said,

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. (John 13:13-15, NLT)

So why is serving such a big deal?

First, quite simply, we are called to serve! Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-7, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God…took on the very nature of a servant.” In Galatians 5:13, Paul urged us to “serve one another in love.” When we are serving, we are fulfilling our basic Christian calling, and taking a huge step toward the blessed life Jesus promised.

Second, we were created to serve! Christians serve! Like a fish swims and a bird flies, Christians serve! Ephesians 2:10 reminds us “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Think about it: Before you were even conceived, God laid out specific plans just for you. You are not just an after-thought; you don’t just exist; you are on this earth not just to be a potted plant, you were born not just to consume, but to contribute. God shaped you to serve him. That places a big responsibility on your shoulders. Who you are is not just a product of random combination of your parent’s DNA. No—God was there at the moment you were conceived, even before, according to Ephesians 2:10, deliberately shaping you to serve his purposes through your life.

Third, service is what we contribute to the Body of Christ. God has a very specific purpose in mind for our call to serve: Not just going around helping people out randomly—although that is not a bad idea—but he specifically created us, converted us and called us to contribute to the life, health and mission of the local church.

I Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” How is God’s grace distributed? Not just in our private times with God…not just in corporate worship as we experience his marvelous presence, but as we serve one another. After salvation, serving is the primary means of God’s grace coming into our lives.

Fourth, service is what captures the world’s attention. Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16, NLT) Here in John 13, Jesus said, “By this will all men know that you are my disciples: That you have love for one another.” (John 13:35)

It’s by authentic servanthood that we become living proof of a loving God.

Roy Hattersley, a columnist for the U.K. Guardian and an outspoken atheist laments, “It ought to be possible to live a Christian life without being a Christian.” But after watching the Salvation Army lead several other faith-based organizations in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort, wrote,

“Notable by their absence were teams from rationalist societies, free thinkers’ clubs, and atheists’ associations—the sort of people who scoff at religion’s intellectual absurdity… [Christians] are the people most likely to take the risks and make the sacrifices involved in helping others. Civilized people do not believe that drug addiction and male prostitution offend against divine ordinance. But those who do are the men and women most willing to change the fetid bandages, replace the sodden sleeping bags, and—probably most difficult of all—argue, without a trace of impatience, that the time has come for some serious medical treatment. The only possible conclusion is that faith comes with a packet of moral imperatives that, while they do not condition the attitude of all believers, influence enough of them to make [Christians] morally superior to atheists like me.”

The spotlight never shines more brightly on Jesus than when Christians serve. “By this, all will know that you are my disciples.”

Fifth, service causes happiness in your soul. There is something ennobling about serving others. Paul tells us in Acts 20:35, “Remember that our Lord Jesus said, ‘More blessings come from giving than from receiving.’”

Do you want to live an incredibly blessed life? Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, I want to obey you in all things. Help me. I want that to be the essential characteristic of my life.