Grace and Peace

I have a lot of friends who use various closings in the signature blocks to their emails and blog posts.  Some of my favorites are:

* Respectfully (that's kinda old fashioned)
* Have a great day (that's a little wishful)
* Warm regards (that's a little stilted)
* All the best (that's a little optimistic)
* Blessings (that's a little out of my league to dispense)
* In Christ (that's where I want to be)

They range from totally secular to completely sacred.

My favorite is . . .

       Grace and Peace

There is nothing wrong with any of the other ones.  I just like that one best.  I don't even use it myself in my email and blogging for fear of jumping onto their bandwagon. 

But it speaks to me.  It reminds me that those two things are certainly things that I could use a little more of in my life each day.  I don't know about you, but I have never come to tough situation and thought there was too much grace applied.  I have never come home at the end of the day and thought, "Wow, today was just too peaceful!"

So what about you?  Could you use a little more grace and peace in your life?


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The Vast Reaches of Grace

I have been mulling something over and over in my mind ever since our small group met together this last Sunday night. We were discussing the 6th chapter of Hebrews. And as you might expect, there was some energetic discussion around verses 4, 5 and 6. So, let me say quickly to my friends from the Reformed Theology tradition that I am not going to debate the doctrine of Eternal Security in this post.

Rather, I want to look at the issue of Grace.

As I mentioned, the group was pondering this passage and someone in the group began to wonder about the potential relationship to what is known by many as the Unpardonable Sin in the Gospel of Mark chapter 3 and verse 29. Again, I am not going to debate that theological point either.

So, what am I going to write about?

I am going to write about a song by one of my favorite gospel quartets, Greater Vision. The song that I listened to on Monday and has echoed through my head ever since is "God's Grace Reaches Farther". Click on this link and listen to track 12 and tell me what you think about it.

I don't know a lot. But this one thing I know. God's grace reaches farther than sin could ever go. No matter where we find ourselves and no matter what depths of sin we find ourselves in, if we reach out to God in true repentance, surely He will reach out to us and lift us up from where we are.

How far will grace stretch? I don't know. And I don't want to find out. I just know that I have never gone so far that grace could not reach me.

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The Last Word on Life

We all live with some kind of hope. We hope it won‘t be too hot today. We hope we will get a raise. We hope our candidate will win the election this fall. We hope to shoot par on at least one hole. But what is hope? The Bible tells us that it is more than just wishful thinking. It is “he assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen“ according to Hebrews 11:1. When the Bible talks about the “hope of heaven,” it isn't talking about hoping we get into heaven, but rather the hope that comes for the reality of heaven.

Do you live with calm assurance that God will do what He says He will do? Maybe you feel that God has let you down in the past. Maybe you have been hurt by folks in your relationships or in business. Everyone that you thought you could count on has let you down. That is the way it seems sometimes. And in fact that may be your experience.

At a time of such uncertainty in the world, people are looking for something or someone to believe in. They want to feel secure, but then the stock market plummets and gas goes to more than $4.00 per gallon. People just want to be happy, but happiness seems so dependent upon our circumstances. They want to be independent, but then they realize that they do not have the resources for today and tomorrow. They want to trust, but their own feelings betray them. Self-help books and prosperity teachers are a dime a dozen.

Why did God make it possible for us to spend eternity in heaven? Was it because of our goodness? Or was it because of His mercy and His grace?

Well, if it is because of His mercy and grace, and He is never changing and never failing, then we can have hope for today and for tomorrow.

“Living hope“ means that it isn‘t something that we store away for the future. It is alive. The hope that we have empowers us to live today the way that God intended us to live it -- in holiness. What we hope for won‘t fade away, rust, or shrink in significance because it is “incorruptible and undefiled.”

The Apostle Peter went on to explain further that our faith is secured not by us, but by almighty God. When we experience true salvation and turn to Christ in repentance, we have a place prepared for us in heaven. John 14: 2 and 3 are fairly clear. No one, not even Satan himself, can take it away from us.

Now this doesn't mean that life will be easy or without trials. Peter acknowledged this but still assured his readers that the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven is worth whatever the struggles are here on earth.

Have you ever camped outside a store in order to be there when the doors opened in order to get the big sale item? Have you ever stood in line for the chance to buy concert or playoff tickets? I remember getting up before dawn once to be in line to get one of the first Teddy Ruxpin animated talking bears. (Some of you are too old to have had one and too young to remember buying them for your children!)

We get so mixed up in our priorities. We make important the things that are so fleeting. And we minimize the things that have eternal implications. We go to a lot of trouble for what pleases us for a moment. But we ignore the things that will provide peace for today and a hope for tomorrow. We live in the present and yet we are created for eternity.

Jesus has been to Bethlehem, wearing barn rags and hearing sheep bleating and cows chewing. He took His first sips of milk shivering at the feet of animals. God had come to earth in the form of a helpless baby. Countless who face the chill of empty pockets, face the fear of uncertainty or face the tragedies of everyday life turn to Jesus Christ. Why?

Because He has been there.

He has been to Nazareth where he toiled in the hot sun of Palestine; to Galilee where He recruited some who would turn and run when He needed them most; to Jerusalem where He was assaulted by the religious leaders of the day and was ultimately put to death on a cruel Roman cross.

You and I have our Nazareth, Galilee, and Jerusalem. So why turn to Jesus? Because He‘s been there!

And He‘s been somewhere you and I have not been yet. He has been to the grave. Not as a visitor. He was a resident for a time. But death and the grave could not hold Him.

So, in this walk of faith, in whom do you put your faith and in whom do hope? Why not place your trust in the One who has been there before you and who has gone before you to prepare a place for you in heaven?

Just a thought . . .

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink

How many times have you heard that statement? It is an old bit of country wisdom. You can bring your horse to the water trough. But, if he ain't thirsty, then he ain't drinkin'.

Now, consider an update to that piece of rural wisdom.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. However, you can salt his oats!

In days gone by, our forefathers knew that if a horse has been sick and is weak and in danger of going down, you can put a little salt in his oats and that salt will draw it to the watering trough and make it want to drink. This is a great analogy of God's grace in our lives before we actually come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is active in our lives in such a way that He creates a "thirst" for the things of God in our lives.

Those of us from a Wesleyan heritage would call this Prevenient Grace. Maybe it is even more dramatic than a mere "thirst". Sometimes it is the Holy Spirit making us so miserable that we seem to have no where else to turn but to the Lord. (hey, that's a great old song, isn't it? -- Where Could I Go But to the Lord?)

I am thankful to God who not only sent His Son, but who also sent the Holy Spirit to be active in my life well before I bowed at an altar of prayer and asked Jesus to forgive my sins and make me a child of God.


"God, create in me a thirst for You and a thirst for Holiness every day"