Conduit of Grace

"You will know that I am the LORD,

when I deal with you for 

my name's sake

and not according to your evil ways

and your corrupt practices, O house of Israel,

declares the Sovereign LORD."

Ezekiel 20:44

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,

so that we might die to sins

and live for righteousness; 

by his wounds you have been healed."

1 Peter 2:24

Serial killer Ted Bundy was executed on January 24, 1989.   On January 25, 1971 Charles Manson received a sentence of life in prison where he continues to live today.  Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini was executed by firing squad on April 29, 1945.  Dictator and mass murderer Saddam Hussein was hung on December 30, 2006.

We know how to deal with someone whose sin is so blatantly evil.  Justice is served swiftly and surely, without hesitation or question. It's easy to know the punishment that they deserve. 

If God treated my sin the same way, I could not stand.  My pattern of rebellion and unfaithfulness is similar to that of the nation of Israel.  I deserve death because of my sin. . . but God sent His Son to serve out my death sentence so that I might live.

I'm not so bad,though, am I?  Compared to the mass murderers listed above, I'm pretty good.  But God isn't looking for pretty good.  His standard is perfection. . . and I fall far short.  I am not so different from the Israelites whose pattern of rebellion and unfaithfulness was consistent throughout history.  Thankfully, He doesn't choose us according to our merit.  He chose us according to His great love and for His namesake.

God's Law

There is a stop sign in our neighborhood that is mostly ignored.  Most drivers simply roll right through it, failing to understand it's purpose.  One day, my daughters were walking a group of children home when the reason for this stop sign became excruciatingly clear: a driver failed to stop and was forced to slam on his brakes to keep from running down those who were in his path.  With all the young people in the neighborhood, stop signs are important for slowing down the flow of traffic and keeping drivers alert to their surroundings. The seemingly useless signs save lives. 

All laws are designed for a purpose.  Those who obey the rules are showing respect for the makers of the law and their judgement, trusting that there was a good reason for them to create that rule.    

I understand and agree with some of God's rules .  Don't Kill.  Don't lie.  Don't steal.  I have witnessed the pain committing these acts can cause to those innocently caught in the fallout.  It makes sense to me that God put those commandments into place.

Others are more difficult to understand and carry out.  Love my enemies.  Turn the other cheek.  Vengeance belongs to God.  These are the ones I have a more difficult time obeying.  My lack of understanding of the purpose for these laws does not annul their existence.  I am not exempt from loving those who are trying to hurt me just because I don't agree with the premise.  If I claim Jesus as my Lord, I must trust that He had a reason for creating this rule.  When I obey Him without agreeing, I am demonstrating my respect and deference to Him as Lord of my life.

I am much like the Israelites who failed to pay attention to God's laws.  They may have followed some of them, but they didn't take Him or all of His law seriously.  Instead, they did things their way, angering God.  

I am no better.  Thankfully, God does not deal with me according to my practices and hard heart.  Instead, He sent Jesus as a conduit of grace, delivering salvation to me through simple faith in Jesus. 

My lack of adherence to God's law earns me a death sentence, but Jesus' sacrifice offers me the assurance of everlasting life.  

Sabbath

"I can't get all my work done in six days. . .I need Sunday to play catch-up. . .  I feel guilty not doing any work. . .  I have so many things I want to do, I can't put them off for another day. . .  The Sabbath law no longer applies; it is old an archaic. . . God doesn't mind if Sunday looks the same as any other day."  These are all excuses I can use to break the Sabbath.

Here is what God says about it.  He said, "Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD you God has commanded you.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God.  On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter. . . " (Deuteronomy 5:12-14)

The Sabbath is not so much about me, but about God.  As one of His people, the way I live my life reflects on Him.  By keeping the Sabbath, I am showing His holiness to the people around me.  I am demonstrating His separation from a dark and sinful world.  I am exhibiting how He is above all things.  

God said in Ezekiel 20:20  to "keep my Sabbath days holy, for they are a sign to remind you that I am the LORD your God." (NLT)  

It is easy for my life to become just like those around whom I live, just as it was for the Israelites.  God called His people to be set apart from the nations around them.  As a follower of Christ and member of His body, I am also called to be different.  

One of the ways I can point to God with my life is to stand out like a sore thumb by resting on Sunday.  No work.  No running errands. No darting from activity to activity.  No chores.  Whatever it is I do Monday through Saturday should stop on Sunday.  In this way, I set myself apart and glorify God with my life.

My unwillingness to keep the Sabbath holy earns me God's wrath, but the grace of God that is found through the death of Christ has quenched that anger.

One and Only God

I love watching children singing in a group. The choir director stands in front as the young choir members file quietly onto the risers, forming rows of smartly dressed and neatly coiffed singers.  Some of the children keep their eyes riveted to the choir director.  Others get distracted by the children around them, whispering secrets in each other's ears.  Still others scan the crowd for their parents, sneaking in waves and smiles to them during the entire performance.  

The way I live my life is similar.  I am dressed in my finest, ready to give the performance of a lifetime. I have the best intentions of pleasing God.  Then I get distracted by selfish desires or minor irritations.  I take my eyes of my Savior and get off task, forgetting why I'm here.  Other times I revel in the position God has placed me, attempting to garner attention for myself instead of accomplishing the mission to which God has called me.  

God is like my choir director.  He wants my single-minded and constant attention.  I, however, am like the Israelites who constantly turned to idols and other gods, replacing the One True God with other things that became more important. 

My unfaithfulness to God as my One True Love earns me the title of Enemy of God, but this infidelity was also borne on the tree, giving me the freedom to become a part of His family.

Despite my resemblance to the nation of Israel who constantly disobeyed God's Law, failed to set apart the Sabbath, and whose eyes strayed to idols and gods, I am not treated as my sins deserve.  Instead, God has redeemed me for His namesake through the sacrifice of His One and Only Son.

As one who has been reconciled, it is my heart's desire to please God in all that I do.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will strive to keep God at the forefront of my attention.

How do show that I have forgotten the amazing grace that saved me from my rightful punishment?

How do I take this astounding grace for granted and fail to live my life in a way that pleases God?