THE GREATEST GIFTS – Day 12

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THE GIFT OF GRACE

What is “grace” besides the prayer often offered before a meal? Grace is a gift, and it often looks different depending on who is giving the gift.

Have you heard the story of a man who fell down some icy steps? While he may not have been too graceful as he slipped and tumbled, he says the ‘gift of grace’ looked completely different in each person who came to his rescue. The first person helped him to his feet, examined where it hurt, took him inside, and put an ice bag on the injury. This person had the grace gift of mercy. A second person asked him why he hadn’t properly poured salt on the icy steps beforehand. This person had the grace gift of exhortation. Still, a third person showed the man how to properly hold on to the handrail and slowly work his way up each step, little by little. This person had the grace gift of teaching. Three different people, three different expressions of the same grace gift.

“But to each one of us, grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” (Ephesians 4:7, NIV).

“But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift.” (Ephesians 4:7, MSG).

Grace. We are given a second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance, and as many “do-overs” as we need to fully accept all the love God has for us. Golfers call them mulligans. An opportunity to say the past poor shot never happened. It doesn’t count. It doesn’t negatively impact the score, but a new, improved shot in its place, can help win the game.

Some have suggested that no single man sums up the definition of grace like the man behind the song Amazing Grace. Do you know John Newton’s story? He was a slave trader and the captain of a ship in the mid-1700s that regularly traveled the Triangle Trade Route. Beginning with an empty cargo hold in England, he would travel to Africa and pack over 600 units of “human cargo” — slaves — onto the ship. He would then sail to America and deliver his cargo in exchange for money and goods made in America that were needed in England, the final leg of his trip. From his home in England, he would rest for a short season and start all over again. He met Christ during a terrible tempest aboard his vessel. He ultimately left the seaman’s life and studied for the ministry.

Near the end of his life, he was pastor at Saint Peter and Paul Church of England in Olney Parish. At age 82, Newton said,

“My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.” He is buried in the cemetery there. On his tombstone, we read these words: John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.

Amazing Grace! What a gift! I want to be preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed, don’t you? May you be a recipient and a giver of this gift of grace today.

PRAYER

Father God, thank you for the gift of grace. Thank you for the chance to start over again, no matter how often. I can receive your love, new and fresh day after day after day. Thank you. As you have given me grace, help me to be quick to offer it to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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This advent devotional can be found on the YouVersion Bible App here.

Psalm 137

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Here is today’s prayer from Psalm 137:

God. Abba. Father.

There are seasons when we walk in great pain. When others have hurt us with both words and actions. And all we do is weep.

May we remember our sorrow as a time of your comforting presence, for you are always with us. When friends or family have passed away, may we recall that you mourn with us. When we have been attacked, or we carry the burden of a loved one who has faced challenging times, may we be assured that you have also suffered greatly. You urge us to recover our lives with you, to allow you to carry our burdens, to find rest in your loving arms of grace. Your perfect peace is as close as our next breath.

You are the great I Am. You are the One True God. You are the holy judge. Give us confidence to believe you will sort out the evil from the righteous. Your design is that we will all walk with you forever. Yet there are some who turn their backs on your mercy. May you deal with them as you see fit. We will trust your scales of justice.

We pray for peace to prevail in Jerusalem. We pray for our children and our children’s children. May your blessing be upon them all.

We thank you for your grace and forgiveness, for we deserve neither. We love you Lord.

We thank you for Jesus.

In His name,

Amen.

We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.

(c) 2021. Rich Ronald.

Psalm 129

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Here is today’s prayer from Psalm 129:

God. Abba. Father.

Today we thank you for Israel and its special place in your heart. The people of The Land have suffered greatly throughout the years. Most of its neighboring nations would prefer that Israel not exist. Yet God. You have protected this special place. You have kept The Land safe.

Most who live there honor your name. Bless them. And to those who would welcome its demise, only you know their hearts. May you bring your holy judgment. In your time.

Our prayer is that there would be peace throughout The Land. From the lush plains of the Shephelah, to the desert around the Salt Sea. From the northern-most Mt. Hermon to the fertile crescent and the Galilee. From the metropolitan cities along the Mediterranean to the villages along the Jordan River. Bring your grace. Bring your truth.

Thank you for this special place. Yet, let us also be reminded that while our savior walked the dusty roads of Jerusalem he lives in our hearts, in the lives of those who have bowed their knee to the infant son born in Bethlehem, who is our risen King!

Jesus!

Amen.

We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.

(c) 2021. Rich Ronald.

Psalm 128

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Here is today’s prayer from Psalm 128:

God. Abba. Father.

We walk in obedience to you and your word. You have promised to bless those who follow “the straight and narrow.” By your Holy Spirit we have endeavored to respect and honor and obey you. So, we humbly open our hands and our hearts to receive what you have for us: Grace. Goodness. Blessing. Happiness. Joy. Abundant harvest. Thank you, dear Father, for taking care of us, your children.

Thank you for family. For wives and husbands and children. For grandparents, aunts, and uncles. The family is a special place. Fill our homes with your grace and your peace. Give us patience and understanding. We thank you for the word picture that for those whose households serve you and honor your name, you have ordained a rich harvest of the choicest fruits and grains and new shoots of growth straight from the deepest roots.

This is a promise is for all who revere you, oh Yahweh.

Thank you.

We pray for your hand of blessing on Jerusalem and your people. And in our land as well. Thank you for calling us to your special place.

Thank you for a long life… one that lingers into grandparenthood. Yes, may we all enjoy the grace and life of many future generations. We thank you, again, for our family.

And for those who struggle with relationships, we ask for a special season of grace, peace, and understanding. May families find a place not just where they survive, but where they thrive under your loving hand.

Through Jesus.

Amen.

We’re reading through, and with intentionality, praying through the Psalms during this school year. There are 150 Psalms, divided into 180 different readings. See this post for more info.

(c) 2021. Rich Ronald.

Romans 9. Grace Means We Are God’s Children.

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Earlier this year, we took a journey together through the Old Testament book of  Isaiah. Paul, as a learned rabbi and the author of the letter to the church at Rome, quoted regularly from the Prophet. So, let’s take the next few weeks together to look at the New Testament book of Romans.

You can listen to this devotional here:



Romans 9

We all have blind spots. Don’t you find it ironic when you can see something about someone else’s life but they cannot? That’s how Paul feels about the people of Israel. He notes that the Jews are God’s chosen people, but they are so strict at following the Law, they are often blind to see His grace.  We all can be that way.  Paul gives a couple of Old Testament examples. Here is one about Jacob, the second-born twin of Rebecca:

“What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don’t do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative.” (v 12, MSG).

God’s grace and mercy are not dependent on anything WE do. He loves us. Period. Just because we are His kids.

He’s in charge of compassion and mercy. I’m thankful for that. He extends His kindness and we can trust Him. He leads us and we can follow Him. He cares for us and we can rest in His arms. He protects us and we can be certain the enemy will not defeat us. He provides for us and we can be assured that we’ll always have more than what we need. Just because He’s that kind of Father. He’s that kind of God. The One True God. He keeps His promises. Always.

And no matter where we are or what we’ve done, that kindness, that mercy is ours. Yes, it’s that simple.

It’s such a good place to be on the receiving side of His grace! The emphasis here is that God is God. And it is a privilege to be called His children. Why? Like we read yesterday, God is crazy in love with us. After all, He created us.

He cares for us and we can rest in His arms.


Paul quotes one of the minor prophets next:

Hosea put it well:
I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies;
I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved.
In the place where they yelled out, “You’re nobody!”
they’re calling you “God’s living children.” (v 25, MSG). Hosea 2:23

Paul then quotes Isaiah:

Isaiah maintained this same emphasis:
If each grain of sand on the seashore were numbered
and the sum labeled “chosen of God,”
They’d be numbers still, not names;
salvation comes by personal selection.
God doesn’t count us; he calls us by name.
Arithmetic is not his focus. (v27-28, MSG). Isaiah 10:22-23.

And arithmetic need not be our focus either. Things don’t always add up in life. As long as we keep our focus on God and His grace, we don’t need to worry about anything else! We are His children. He’s got this!

Paul concludes his thoughts on the subject:

How can we sum this up? All those people who didn’t seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing as he straightened out their lives. And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it? Because instead of trusting God, they took over. They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing. They were so absorbed in their “God projects” that they didn’t notice God right in front of them, like a huge rock in the middle of the road. And so they stumbled into him and went sprawling. Isaiah (again!) gives us the metaphor for pulling this together:

Careful! I’ve put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion, a stone you can’t get around. But the stone is me! If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me on the way, not in the way. (v30-33, MSG).  Isaiah 8:14 and 28:16.

That’s a promise that I want to fully embrace! He is walking with us. Following Jesus is not a stumbling block! He doesn’t slow us down. Following Him is not an obstacle or wall to be climbed over. He is the stone that leads us along the path. I think when we fully embrace that He is with us “on the way,” we can have an amazing confidence that wherever we walk, we will be okay. We have nothing to fear.  In fact, we will be more than okay, because the very presence of God is with us! 


Remember this:

“At the place where they yelled out “You’re a nobody!” they are now calling you “Children of the living God!”




(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.

RichlySpeaking.com


Today, I’m attaching this worship song from Bethel Worship because it mirrors our text. 


https://youtu.be/XxkNj5hcy5E











 

 

Romans 6. Grace is Freedom!

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Earlier this year, we took a journey together through the Old Testament book of  Isaiah. Paul, as a learned rabbi and the author of the letter to the church at Rome, quoted regularly from the Prophet. So, let’s take the next few weeks together to look at the New Testament book of Romans.

Romans 6.

I have always loved the way this chapter begins. Chapter 5 is all about God’s grace. Now, Paul asks this thought-provoking question: “So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving?” (Romans 6:1, MSG). Do we keep on behaving poorly so God can keep on giving us more and more and more of His grace?  Here are a few different translations of verse 2:

By no means! (NIV)
I should hope not! (MSG)
What a terrible thought! (TPT)
Heaven forbid! (CJB)
Of course not! (NLT)
May it never be! (TLV)

I used to be a king at rationalizing. I’m pretty sure that if I was reading the words of Chapter 5 when Paul was writing it, I would have been one of the first to ask that question. It’s a logical one for our human mind. So, I’m glad to see the answer to his own question. It makes me wonder if Paul likely asked it of God and this answer was for the Apostle’s benefit as well as for ours.

Like wave after wave, grace continues to lap along the seashore of our lives.

To be clear, more sin on our part does not equal more grace on God’s part. Although, Jesus pointed to a woman at a meal at Simon the Pharisee’s home in Luke 7: “She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful. If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal.” (Luke 7:47, MSG). Our assignment in fully accepting God’s grace is to recognize that we are all sinners, and none of us deserve His grace. And we are to be thankful no matter if the perceived amount of His grace is one ounce or a thousand tons! In reality, we cannot quantify it.

John Newton was a slave trader, British ship captain, and author of the famous hymn “Amazing Grace.” He said it this way: “Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” *

Paul says we get to bury that sinful life in baptism. And just as Jesus was raised to life, we too can live a life of freedom from the bondage of sin. That’s why Jesus came! Recall, Jesus said in Luke 4, quoting Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, NIV).

Our baptism reminds of that. It is a mark on our spiritual journey. It’s a public proclamation that allows us to say, “No, I am going to live differently than I used to live. I am going to live fully embracing the freedom and grace Jesus offers. I am set free from sin. I have been forgiven!

I like walking along the beach. It reminds me, like wave after wave, grace continues to lap along the seashore of our lives. It never runs out! So, how do we live out this grace each day?  Back to Romans 6:

“That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time—remember, you’ve been raised from the dead!—into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God.”(Romans 6:12-14, MSG).

May the Holy Spirit empower you to”throw yourself into God’s way of doing things” today. And please pray that He allows me to do the same!

 

(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.

*John Pollock, Amazing Grace: John Newton’s Story (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1981. Page 182.

Romans 5. Jesus Came to Give Us Grace and Life.

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Earlier this year, we took a journey together through the Old Testament book of  Isaiah. Paul, as a learned rabbi and the author of the letter to the church at Rome, quoted regularly from the Prophet. So, let’s take the next few weeks together to look at the New Testament book of Romans.

Romans 5.

We make a second stop along the Romans Road today. The first signpost in Romans 3 identified the realization that we are all sinners.  Chapter 5 illuminates the hope we sinners have in Jesus as our Messiah. He is the resolution for the human condition. He makes it right for us to have a relationship with God.

Paul begins this portion by encouraging patience in our lives. We can all be impatient, right? Especially when we are facing troubles… struggles like unemployment, or a medical crisis, or a marriage that is balancing precariously close to collapse. Have you ever prayed a prayer like this: “Please give me patience, God. Right now!” I have.

Look at what patience brings:

We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:3-5, MSG).

Patience is a virtue and when it is fully developed in us, through trust in God, we can have an attitude of expectancy and hope instead of worry or dread.

What joy, what blessing, what freedom we can carry when we are fully experiencing a life of grace.

Here’s the solution to our impatience and every other sin: Jesus.

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6,8, CEV).

God requires a sacrifice, a price to be paid, for our disobedience. Jesus paid that price through His death, and resulting resurrection. Here’s how Paul explains it clearly:

“But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life.” (Romans 5:9-10, CEV).

We have life and relationship and even peace with God because Jesus died for us.

And what about the Law, the Ten Commandments and other ordinances God placed before Moses and the children of Israel in the Old Testament? Jesus offers something much better: forgiveness and grace.

All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end. (Romans 5:20-21, MSG).

Grace invites us into a beautiful life, like a flowering cherry tree in the springtime. What joy, what blessing, what freedom we can carry when we are fully experiencing a life of grace. I learned so much about grace as a staff pastor under Max Lucado for over ten years. Here’s how he puts it:

“Grace is God as heart surgeon, cracking open your chest, removing your heart—poisoned as it is with pride and pain—and replacing it with his own. Rather than tell you to change, he creates the change. Do you clean up so he can accept you? No, he accepts you and begins cleaning you up. His dream isn’t just to get you into heaven but to get heaven into you.”
― Max Lucado, Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine

God wants to put more of Him inside of you. He does that by giving us His heart through His Son.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.” (Ezekiel 36:26, NIV).

Will you let God give you His grace? He loves you and wants you to have all that He has for you. He’s ready to pour into your life so that you can patiently endure the hardships of the journey and enjoy the blessings of beauty and joy and love He so desires for you.

 

(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.

 

Romans 1. Who Are You and What Are You Doing?

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Earlier this year, we took a journey together through the Old Testament book of  Isaiah. Paul, as a learned rabbi and the author of the letter to the church at Rome, quoted regularly from the Prophet. So, let’s take the next few weeks together to look at the New Testament book of Romans.

Right off the top, we see that Paul calls himself a “devoted slave on assignment.” (Romans 1:1, MSG). And it immediately causes me to ask myself two questions: 1) Am I a devoted slave? and 2) What is my assignment? We could certainly drop anchor before the ship even leaves the harbor to ponder these two thoughts.

It’s been said that we are all a slave to something or someone. That can be a good thing, right? If we are bound by healthy habits our assignment might be exercising and eating well-balanced meals. On the other hand, if we are controlled by a TV craving, we might binge-watch our favorite situation comedy until the wee hours of the morning, thus negatively altering our work performance the next day.

Jesus is worth following is because He chose us to give us His grace and the eternal life that comes with it.

 

What if, like Paul, our days were structured around a life disciplined by Jesus? What if we awoke each morning with the inclination on our lips and heart to prioritize God’s to-do list over our own?

Why would Paul do this? Why would we?

“Through him, we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus.” (Romans 1:5, MSG).

Paul assures us that the only reason Jesus is worth following is because He chose us to give us His grace and the eternal life that comes with it. He has chosen us! He has given us grace! He has presented us with life! As we fully embrace this blessing and calling,  might it be relatively easy to accomplish the assignment of telling others about Him?  What if we shared this truth with our friends and family: “You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ!” (Romans 1:6, MSG).

What a great promise to view through the lens of God’s affection for everyone! You are who you are, I am who I am, through the gift of grace — God’s abundant and unconditional love.

It’s no wonder we see the passion light up Paul’s face as he exclaims:

“And that’s why I can’t wait to get to you in Rome, preaching this wonderful good news of God. It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”” (Romans 1:15-17, MSG).

This Good News is extraordinary! Isn’t it worth sharing? Isn’t it worth structuring our days around and committing our lives to?  While our salvation is not earned by completing our God-given assignments, Paul writes to another church: “God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ to make us what we are.” (Ephesians 2:10, CEV).

May God fill you with His strength and joy and grace today as you seek to serve Him by accomplishing the assignments He has for you.

 

(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.

 

Isaiah 48. Celebrate! Be Happy! Shout as You Go!

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Because of the importance of Israel and its people, and my personal love for The Land, I’m inviting you to join me through the key Old Testament book of Isaiah.  Each day I’m posting some simple thoughts about this complex prophet.

Isaiah 48.

This is the culmination of 400 years of Babylonian captivity. Today is a day to rejoice!

“Today I am doing something new, something you cannot say you have heard before.” (v7, CEV).

The Lord says He tested the people of Israel in the hard times of captivity, tested them to refine them as silver is refined in the fire. You’ve heard this example, I’m sure: As silver is purified there is a black dross that separates from the genuine silver. How does the silversmith know when the silver is perfectly refined? When the dross is completely burned off and he can see his reflection in the pure silver.

So, today, the refining process is complete. Israel finally, once again, is reflecting the image of God, not of other idols or gods.

So, this leads to their freedom!

“I am the holy LORD God. The One who rescues you. For your own good, I teach you and I lead you among the right path… Now leave Babylon! Celebrate as you go! Be happy and shout for everyone to hear: “The LORD has rescued, has redeemed His servant Israel!” (v17,20, CEV).

He has redeemed us, too. The people of Israel were rescued by God at the hand of King Cyrus. We are redeemed by Jesus!

Celebrate! Be happy! Shout as you go!

And as for the people of Babylon? “There is no peace, says the LORD,  for the wicked.” (v22, NIV).

I believe the flip side is also true. There IS peace in abundance for those who live in goodness and grace. In Jesus, there is freedom from the captivity of sin and an overflow of peace. His perfect Shalom. His perfect joy!

 

If you’re new to this journey through Isaiah, you can start here.

(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.

Isaiah 28: A Firm Foundation

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A Trusting Life Won’t Topple.

Because of the importance of Israel and its people, and my personal love for The Land, I’m inviting you to join me through the key Old Testament book of Isaiah.  Each day I’m posting some simple thoughts about this complex prophet.

Isaiah 28.

“I’m laying a firm foundation for the city of Zion. It’s a valuable cornerstone proven to be trustworthy; no one who trusts it will ever be disappointed.” (v16, CEV).

Look how it is written in another version:

“And this is the meaning of the stone: A TRUSTING LIFE WON’T TOPPLE.” (v16, MSG).

I believe that cornerstone is Jesus. Trust. Trust. Trust. We must trust His love, His grace and His plan for our lives. As we do, our lives won’t fall apart.

Webster’s Dictionary defines trust this way: “a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.”

Only Jesus is reliable. Only Jesus is truth. Only Jesus is strength. We will fail each other. We will disappoint.  Try as hard as we might to be reliable, truthful, able and strong, we will fall short. That’s why I’m thankful for His grace — grace that is extended to us and grace that we can offer to others.

We will never be disappointed in Jesus! He is the cornerstone, the firm foundation upon which we build our lives. It’s only because of Jesus that we can trust each other. And we can trust others who trust Jesus because we know that we’re all trusting Jesus. It’s a wonderful circle, built on a firm foundation. That’s what a beautiful community or family or church body is designed to look like.

In a building, the cornerstone is firm. It is solid. It is an anchor between two key walls. It’s strength allows other stones to be built on top of it. Lots of other stones. Every building has one. What, or who, is the cornerstone of your life? Can I suggest that if your cornerstone is anything but Jesus, you are taking a risk with the stability of your life.

Jesus can be that unshakable, unyielding foundation for our lives. But only if we are willing to fully trust Him.

If you’re new to this journey through Isaiah, you can start here.

(c) 2020. Rich Ronald.