Alan shares a devotion called Choosing Grace written by Dr. James Emery White and originally posted by Crosswalk:
C.S. Lewis once quipped that everyone thinks forgiveness is a wonderful idea until they have someone to forgive. Let’s apply that to grace.
Everyone thinks grace is a wonderful idea until they are faced with a situation that calls for it to be applied. Grace is that which is freely given and totally undeserved; receiving what you do not deserve, and not receiving what you do. Make no mistake, when it comes to human interaction, grace is a choice; a decision, made in reaction to a situation, which creates one of two scenarios: graciousness, or harsh judgment. Let’s explore this a bit.
You arrive for your regular morning workout at the gym. You see a morbidly obese person on the treadmill. A dark thought slips across your mind along the lines of “What are they doing here?” But what would a choice for grace be like? It’s simple, really. When the dark thought crosses your mind, correct it and choose another. Rather than sneering and thinking that an overweight person has no business in a gym with fit people such as yourself, let grace exclaim, “Good for them! They are trying to lose weight and are here putting in the hard work to do it. Many overweight people aren’t even trying, and they are.
A politician is caught in sexual scandal and forced to resign. The first thought would be to lump all the slimy buggers together, make a sweeping assessment about politicians in general, and say the hypocrite got what he deserved. A choice for grace might whisper, “If all of my private sins were suddenly made known, would I be forced to resign as well?”
Do we need to keep walking through the other seven deadly sins? If grace can speak to gluttony and lust, couldn’t it change our response to greed, anger, sloth, envy and pride? Not as a means to excuse sin, or even to respond passively to sin as if it’s inconsequential to our world, much less our spiritual lives. The choice for grace is more relational. It’s the understanding that you’ve never locked eyes with anyone’s sin without seeing the drama of the fall playing itself out on planet earth. The choice for grace is about seeing past the second chapter of the great theological story; first came creation, then the fall, but then came the wonderful, glorious third chapter of redemption.
This wasn’t just proclaimed by Jesus, but lived. When everyone else saw a serial adulterer by a well, Jesus saw an evangelist to a city. When everyone else saw a scheming, greedy tax collector, Jesus saw someone who could right a corrupt system. When everyone else saw a murderous, hate-filled bigot, Jesus saw the author of much of the New Testament. When everyone else saw you, full of your sin and dead to shame, Jesus saw a cherished daughter and a prized son.
Grace chose you. Try choosing grace for others.
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Funny thing happened this morning. Or, rather, I should say a “God thing” happened this morning. I was sitting alone with God, and in a moment of frustration, I told him "God, I just need to hear directly from You. I just need to hear something from you. Talk to me, God," I quietly begged. I happened to have my phone sitting next to me and immediately after I said the words, my phone began to vibrate. Ordinarily, not wanting the interruption of my time with Him, I wouldn't have picked it up or even looked at it, but given the timing I was curious. It turned out that the vibration was the notification that my Grace Harbor Daily Devotional had been sent to my inbox. “That You, God?” I asked in cautious excitement. Increasingly curious over what today's devotional might say, I clicked on the link and began to read. Do you know that what I had been previously discussing with God was exactly along the lines of what was written today? I needed to read what was written, and needed to read it in a very big way. His grace is so sufficient, yet we doubt we really have it when we think we’ve messed up too badly. Because of what was written in today’s devotional, I was so sweetly reminded by Him that I am and always will be a “cherished daughter.” If you ever wonder whether or not your devotionals are reaching into the lives and hearts of people, I assure you they are. I’m very grateful for the time you all take in ensuring their daily delivery. Thank you for being such a profound part of each of my days, and may I always remember to choose grace for others!
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