01/25/12

 

Last week I was in a discussion with other people regarding how certain programs or people are "condoning" certain behaviors in our society.  Whether it is drugs, drinking, teen pregnancy, divorce, or any other behavior that the Lord would not want us to follow, it is reality in this fallen world in which we live.  It is important for us as Christians to be careful not to get up high on our pedestals and view these behaviors from a pious point of view.  We also can't make the statement that "My child would never do that!"  There are no guarantees that mistakes will not be made.  There are no guarantees that just because you are a Christian you would never have any of these problems.

There are many programs and people in our churches and local cities who help children/teens/adults who go through these types of behaviors/problems.  It is not a statement of condoning what the person is doing.  It is a statement of showing the grace of God.  The day after we had the discussion of needing to show the grace of God to people who are going through these situations, one of my best friends read this in her devotions and then shared it with me.  It was exactly about what she and I had talked the day before.  Everybody needs to be shown God's grace.

Extending Grace

Matthew 9:12 - Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.

In the mid-1970's, divorce filings and final decrees appeared in the Public Records section of our local newspaper.  Rev. Bill Flanagan, a pastor at our church, read those names week after week and began to picture people, not statistics.  So he created a Divorce Recovery Workshop to offer help and healing in Christ to hurting people during a difficult time.  When concerned church members told Bill he was condoning divorce, he softly replied that he was simply extending God's grace to folks in need.

When Jesus invited Matthew the tax collector to follow Him, he accepted.  Matthew then invited Jesus to dinner at his house.  After the religious leaders criticized Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Matt. 9:12-13).  Jesus, the Great Physician, wants  to meet each of us at our point of need, offering forgiveness, healing, and hope.  What we don't deserve, He freely gives.

By reaching out to people in need, we can extend to others this grace of God in Christ - guiding them to His healing touch. 

~David McCasland - Our Daily Bread - January 20, 2012

There's advantage in our weakness, 

There is blessing in our pain;

It is when we're feeling helpless

That God's grace and strength sustain. 

~Fitzhugh

When you know God's grace,

you'll want to show God's grace.