"For from His
fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace" (John 1:16).
Our boys brought home a Christian rock CD by a young man
called Reliant K; Reliant said "the great thing about grace is that it's
not fair". This was years ago and I've never forgotten. "Not
fair". We've been brought up to share our toys and to "play
fair" with the other kids. This becomes part of who we are as adults and
helps make the world a more civilized place. (It also partly accounts for why
Western countries are so prosperous after many generations of spreading the
wealth so that many of us are able to participate fully).
But God's grace
comes to us as He wills, we cannot earn or lay claim to it.. and it is not fair, but also it is wonderful!
"God saved us and
called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own
purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began"
(2 Timothy 1:9).
Grace is the practical outpouring of God's love. Grace is
favour, it is a gift from God which blesses and changes us.
"God is
love" (1 John 4:16), love is the essence of who He is, Father, Son and
Holy Spirit. God lavishes grace upon humanity as an expression of His love and
as a way to bring people into His embrace. This way each one of us can grow and
be fulfilled according to His plan in the Creation and in His New Covenant.
By God's grace we find Jesus, (or Jesus reveals Himself to
us), our sins are forgiven and we are adopted into God's family as His
children. The whole of Creation was brought into being so that humankind would
have a place to be. Humans are the
only creatures to have a spirit; because of this Jesus can fill us by His
Holy Spirit.
We were created, each and every human being, to be in relationship
with God, to be spiritually alive, to be transformed by being eternally saved, and to grow in saintliness until "we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). This Bible verse makes a very big statement, especially in the
light of all the divisions in the world, and even within the Christian church.
But its meaning is quite clear; this will
come to pass, meanwhile "the body of
Christ [the Church] [is being] built up .." (Ephesians 4:12)! Grace.
Grace is free, and it is entirely from God. We cannot earn
or deserve or buy grace. God calls us. Jesus died to take away our sins and
this work is His alone. Sin may seem an old-fashioned word, but its meaning has not changed. It includes all our wrong-doing, our mean-ness, lies, cheating, willfulness, crime, and going against God's will for us. A big subject.
Our confession and repentance for our sins is our
response to Jesus' saving and sanctifying work. "By grace we have been saved" (Ephesians 2:5). At the
same time, grace is costly, we give up our old life and work at growing in our
relationship with Father God, (as a Christian I know I am constantly growing). We want to please and serve Him, to
participate in Jesus' work on the earth.
There is a flow from God to us: God leads to relationship leads to faith leads to repentance leads to salvation leads to righteousness leads to freedom leads to love leads to obedience leads to service leads to peace. It is all given to us by grace " .. Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew
10:8).
This is like Martin Luther's experience of agony for his sins
and through that finding faith in Jesus and being born again. We simply need to
meet Jesus and believe that His death on the Cross will set us free ..
Justification by grace alone is the sole foundation of
Christian life (Romans 3:23-24). Only Jesus will give us the Holy Spirit (Acts
2:38).
Although this is completely true, it is our necessary response to God’s grace that brings His love into the world. We become "salt" and "light" (Matthew 5:13-14) in the world, and serve all humanity (Matthew 5:16). We are actively part of God’s family (Galatians 4:7) and His Kingdom (Revelation 5:10). We separate our self from the world (2 Corinthians 6:14, also see James 4:4).
I'm very grateful that God is not fair with grace. I think I
would have deserved to have been
given very little grace, but have had lots, all my life, in many, many ways.
Praise Jesus.
"Through him we
have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we
rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2).
"For sin will
have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace"
(Romans 6:14).
"Even when we
were dead in our trespasses and sins, God made us alive together with Christ -
by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:5).
Encounters
In our Christian circles we talk about "divine
encounters". These are the times when we meet with someone "by
chance" and the meeting turns out to be really special and very helpful.
Afterwards you realise that on your own you could not have expressed yourself
anywhere near as well as you just did; it had to be Jesus in you who was
bringing forward ideas and forming sentences (Colossians 1:27). Grace at work
(2 Corinthians 9:8).
I'm at Trish and my favourite camp ground, by the sea in our
Southwest, and yesterday, quite separately, I met two men for the first time.
One became a born again Christian after his wife died many years ago. He has been
increasingly disappointed at the way both the world and the Church are going.
We talked for ages and I was able to share with him some very positive truths
which never appear in the media. I'm sure that he walked away with a much
lighter step than he had when he approached me. I know that meeting him was a
blessing to me. A divine encounter? I believe so.
The other fellow has only just retired after working in
Christian ministry for decades. He's now very keen to find what he will be
doing for his remaining lifetime and getting started on it. I felt to share
about taking time to think and pray .. it's been very precious to me to have
lots of time, when I was unemployed, and now that I'm older, to have lovely
long periods where I can think and then pray and think and pray some more; to really
ponder and get to grips with what the Bible says and to hear what Jesus is now
saying. Yes, and to take the time to smell the roses too! I see this as a huge
outpouring of grace towards me .. We have just enough money to meet our needs
(Luke 12:22-32), but I am rich in time and relationships. I keep my life simple
and try to stay close to those who are near to me. I am never bored!
"Let us then with
confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).
Sea Scouts
When my dad took me along to Boy Scouts we didn't know that very
soon that group would become Sea Scouts. I really thrived. Initially we had no
"boat" stuff and started from scratch building our boat shed, pier
and launching ramp, and a fleet of boats most of which had sails.
You can’t imagine the thrill it was for a ten- or twelve- year-old boy to be so engaged in such big, exciting learning projects. I spent one
whole school holidays going there every day to fabricate rigging for the
sailboats. I represented Wellington
Province in both rowing and sailing. We also trekked in the mountains and did
many camps. Often the food at camp was awful, when I complained to my Mum she
began to teach me how to cook. I still love all these things and still love to cook for people. I learned other things like first aid and
leadership, and patriotism and respect for our Queen and our government. What
grace filled gifts these all are; if my father had got me into a different kind
of activity none of this would have happened. But God knew. He guides our steps
even when we are un-aware.
"A person's steps
are directed by the Lord. How can anyone understand their own way?"
(Proverbs 20:24).
Information
Technology
Grace comes to all of us, but Christians know it with such
gratitude because it is "by grace
you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the
gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
Long before Jesus came to me I "fell" into a
career in IT. This gave me many exciting and challenging projects, and it
sustained me and my family for decades. It also enabled me to work here in Australia and in England
and the United States.
As a young man I was working for a firm who needed some accounting equipment;
the most suitable machines came with new digital features. I was the odd-job
person in the office so this was added to my work list. The equipment-supply people saw that I
took to it like a duck to water and I flew through all their aptitude tests.
Not long after that I moved to the wild mining country in Australia's
Northwest to work and save money for a world-wide back-packing trip. The mining
company, who had a "recruit from within" policy, were looking to set
up their first IT department and I was given one of the positions as trainee
computer programmer. Computers in commercial businesses were still rare in
those days so I was very blessed to
have such an opportunity! Soon I showed that I had a real flair for designing
and building computer systems to solve complex business problems. My end-users
loved my systems because they did their job well, and were reliable, and were
delivered on time. I loved my work!
Grace. I didn't even know Jesus but He gave me something immensely precious and
long lasting.
"And God is able
to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things
at all times, you may abound in every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Drownings and Car
Crashes
I've nearly drowned three times. It is true that your life
flashes before your mind's eye as you come near to the end; I found it a
peaceful experience, perhaps because my life has been full, rich and
satisfying. Clearly, I survived these three events!
Two of those times I was trying to drag somebody out of the
surf. I reached the point where I knew we were both lost and I went through the
terrible thoughts that I would have to abandon my friend and try to save
myself. Then my toes touched the sand and I found the energy to continue the
struggle. Grace. At the last possible minute my lovely Jesus, who I did not
know, rescued me. Twice. Years apart and in different countries. Grace.
The third near drowning happened when our son Tom and I were
body surfing in some pretty good waves. We soon realised we were in a rip, we
did not know where the rip would take us so began the struggle for the shore. Tom
was still in his teens but he is tall and strong. Once again I thought I was finished but Tom's
determination, size and strength got us out. I was Christian by this time and
we stood on the beach, half crying and also yelling out praises to Jesus at the
top of our voices, our Shield and our Rock! What grace! I have tears in my eyes
as I share this ..
"But you, O Lord,
are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head" (Psalm
3:3).
With all my crazy car crashes I've never been hurt or caused
a death or injury. I've grown up a lot since those days and praise Jesus for
His shielding hand. Grace abounding!
Until I was mature my health was very good; since then I've
had some serious issues .. I've written at length about the many miracles I've
seen in my health, and also about healings for many other people. Jesus heals, still,
in our time. Such grace!
"The Lord is my
rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2).
Jesus And Trish
It has been a study in the grace of God how I even got to
know and love Him. I was offended by the Church when I was young so stopped
having anything to do with church people; I had only ever
attended church and had
not
become a believer, but church was so much a part of society then that this was
a big step.
Later on, Jesus had to soften me up before I would be open
to His approach. He gave Trish and me to each other. I love to recount how
Trish and I met, how impossibly unlikely that meeting was, how un-alike we are,
like chalk and cheese, yet we have six gorgeous grown children, also daughters-in-law and grandkids; there are now fifteen of us in our immediate
family! In July we'll have been married 37 years. What a very long and lovely
conversation Trish and I are enjoying. Why should I be given such a glorious
gift? Why such favour towards me?
We met in New York
when I was on holiday there; it seemed an extremely chance meeting but its
impact is still being felt. Trish was a church-goer and went to Mass in Hoboken every Sunday
evening. An amazing priest would give the sermons; he was on loan from the
local diocese to the office of the Governor of New Jersey. As he spoke he would
reflect Jesus' light on all the events and happenings in N.J. and even the U.S.A. and the
world. I saw Jesus in a new way, in today's world. Trish and I were
married, also in New Jersey, and soon after
came to Western Australia
where I had an apartment by the sea.
The beginning of our marriage was rocky for Trish and, after
some struggles, a group of ladies from church took her to a prayer meeting ..
it was there that she met Jesus and her life was changed. I became interested
and went to many meetings with Trish and these other, very excited, Christians.
About three years passed, then Jesus came and took me by the hand. Some years after that our marriage was in trouble,
(most marriages encounter trouble at some point). This began to resolve when we
asked Jesus to come and be the third strand in the rope of our union
(Ecclesiastes 4:12). Now we are still happily bound together, Jesus, Trish and
I, and still rejoicing in the joys, and prevailing over the troubles that come
our way (2 Corinthians 6:4). Jesus has been going before us, all these years,
pouring out His grace upon us and our marriage and our family.
"But He said to
me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'.
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power
of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
It has been a surprise to me, how fruitful this writing-time
has been, focusing on the grace of God. How widespread grace is in the world!
While I've been thinking about specific times when grace flowed towards me,
there is also common grace. In the very Creation, and every day, grace abounds
towards all humanity. We don't just have a universe, but it is full of benefits
and beauty. We have the seasons, flowers and animals, mountains and oceans,
countless wonderful foods, babies and dogs and whales, and for most of us, the
richness of being in families. Just the other day I was riding my bike round our
neighbourhood, for exercise. The most brilliant sunset filled the sky. I saw
cars pausing at intersections, then stopping. The peoples' faces were directed
to the sky and filled with awe and delight at the glorious spectacle God was
painting in our sky! Grace.
As for the Church, I'm certain that Jesus is not worried
about its future and is working out His plan in His time:
".. I will build
my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Jesus'
words: Matthew 16:18).
"So too at the
present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace" (Romans 11:5).
My prayer for you:
"The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be
with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14).
Favourite Bible Verses
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
".. to the praise of
his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all
wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according
to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness
of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth"
(Ephesians 1:6-10).
"Therefore He is
able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all
time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living
to make petition to God and intercede with Him and intervene for them"
(Hebrews 7:25 Amplified).
"He is the image
of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all
things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through
him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold
together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be
preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to
dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on
earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross"
(Colossians 1:15-20).
Amen.
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The creation never fails to thrill me. I think I see
something new and profound or delightful every day. I'm down South at our
favourite camp site by the sea, It's Spring and everything is lush from the
Winter rains; "everything" includes mosquitoes which have exploded in
number. As soon as I step outdoors I'm surrounded by these little critters.
There are tiny ants here too, they have a pathway near where I have my work
table; they are only about the size of a mosquito's fore-leg, and mosquito legs
are about as thin as the blond hairs on my arm. Mosquitoes are so fragile that
when I squash one I have no sense of anything being there even though my
fingers are sensitive enough to pick up a few grains of sugar from a bench top.
"As you do not
know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you
cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things"
(Ecclesiastes 11:5 ).
