Welcome to Hank’s Place –
Preachers, when preaching about grace, may preface this wonderful word with another word: “greasy.” “Beware!” “License to sin!”
Well, there MAY be people out there looking to justify their outrageous behavior by invoking a reference to God’s grace – but pride, arrogance, rebellion and self-will don’t need excuses or crutches, do they?
Does God’s grace need a set of rails to stay on track? – Any rule additions leads to falling from grace as Paul said, Gal 5:4, and soon, rather than rejoicing in the goodness of God, that person finds themselves depressed, failing to measure up to all the rules. God’s grace needs no help from us my friend!
Let’s focus on God’s lovingkindness: showered upon us for no deserving reason, but because it is who God is that He relates to us in lovingkindness. Well, how does a person know when they have come to receive, grasp, understand by experience God’s lovingkindness?
“Reciprocity.” That mean returning in kind of the same kind. For example, 1 Jn 4:19, we love for He first loved us. Before we could love with selfless, 1 Cor 13 love, we needed to receive the love of God. If you are struggling with loving someone, don’t try harder my friend, but receive the love of God for yourself first; then you will have something to give away!
Back to God’s lovingkindness – showered upon us. If it is not returned freely in gratitude, we have not understood, or truly received internally, the nature of the lovingkindness that was shown to us in the first place.
So a Christian who speaks judgment everywhere may not as yet come to understand the love of God for themselves. Someone who would attempt to take advantage of God’s grace really has no understanding of the true nature of God’s grace.
Dear friend, taste and see that the Lord is GOOD! Ps 34:8. Drink from the river of His delights. Ps 36:8. Revel in His love, experience His grace for yourself—and you’ll have much to give away, to help others – COME ALIVE!
NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION
Be notified when a new blog posts