Grace Unexpected
Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones!
…..Praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
…..but his favor lasts a lifetime!
Weeping may last through the night,
…..but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:4-5 NLT
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I was searching for a good story to go with the passage of Scripture at which I was looking. I subscribe to a site that shares daily humor called Good Clean Funnies (gcfl.net). As I searched, this story stopped me in my tracks. It is not one of humor, and though it is from many years ago, it is a must-read.
The boy stood with back arched, head cocked back, and hands clenched defiantly. “Go ahead, give it to me.”
The principal looked down at the young rebel. “How many times have you been here?”
The child sneered rebelliously, “Apparently not enough.”
The principal gave the boy a strange look. “And you have been punished each time have you not?”
“Yeah, I been punished, if that’s what you want to call it.” He threw out his small chest, “Go ahead I can take whatever you dish out. I always have.”
“And no thought of your punishment enters your head the next time you decide to break the rules does it?”
“Nope, I do whatever I want to do. Ain’t nothin’ you people gonna do to stop me either.”
The principal looked over at the teacher who stood nearby. “What did he do this time?”
“Fighting. He took little Tommy and shoved his face into the sandbox.”
The principal turned to look at the boy, “Why? What did little Tommy do to you?”
“Nothin, I didn’t like the way he was lookin’ at me, just like I don’t like the way you’re lookin’ at me! And if I thought I could do it; I’d shove your face into something.”
The teacher stiffened and started to rise but a quick look from the principal stopped him. He contemplated the child for a moment and then quietly said, “Today my young student, is the day you learn about grace.”
“Grace? Isn’t that what you old people do before you sit down to eat? I don’t need none of your stinkin’ grace.”
“Oh, but you do.” The principal studied the young man’s face and whispered. “Oh yes, you truly do…” The boy continued to glare as the principal continued, “Grace, in its short definition is unmerited favor. You cannot earn it; it is a gift and is always freely given. It means that you will not be getting what you so richly deserve.”
The boy looked puzzled. “You’re not gonna whup me? You just gonna let me walk?”
The principal looked down at the unyielding child. “Yes, I am going to let you walk.”
The boy studied the face of the principal, “No punishment at all? Even though I socked Tommy and shoved his face into the sandbox?”
“Oh, there has to be punishment. What you did was wrong and there are always consequences to our actions. There will be punishment. Grace is not an excuse for doing wrong.”
“I knew it,” Sneered the boy as he held out his hands. “Let’s get on with it.”
The principal nodded toward the teacher. “Bring me the belt.” The teacher presented the belt to the principal. He carefully folded it in two and then handed it back to the teacher. He looked at the child and said. “I want you to count the blows.”
He slid out from behind his desk and walked over to stand directly in front of the young man. He gently reached out and folded the child’s outstretched, expectant hands together and then turned to face the teacher with his own hands outstretched.
One quiet word came forth from his mouth. “Begin.” The belt whipped down on the outstretched hands of the principal.
Crack! The young man jumped ten feet in the air. Shock registered across his face, “One” he whispered. Crack! “Two.” His voice raised an octave. Crack! “Three…” He couldn’t believe this. Crack! “Four.” Big tears welled up in the eyes of the rebel. “OK stop! That’s enough. Stop!” Crack, came the belt down on the callused hands of the principal.
Crack! The child flinched with each blow, tears beginning to stream down his face. Crack! Crack! “No please,” the former rebel begged, “Stop, I did it, I’m the one who deserves it. Stop! Please. Stop…” Still, the blows came, Crack! Crack! One after another.
Finally, it was over.
The principal stood with sweat glistening across his forehead and beads trickling down his face. Slowly he knelt down. He studied the young man for a second and then his swollen hands reached out to cradle the face of the weeping child.
“Grace…”
Received from William H. Rayborn
Oct 18th, 2020, Sun, 7:01 pm
No One’s Gonna Change My Mind!
It may be overcast today, as some rainy weather is headed our way, but it is beautiful, none the less. The beauty of autumn is everywhere. Thank You, Father, for the multifaceted splendor of Your creation!
Luke 18:9-14 (<<click here to read the passage)
Isn’t this world a mess? There are so many who just do what they want to do. No one call tell them any different, because they know what is best for them and for you, too! And what is truly tragic is that this mentality is not just one you will find out and about in our everyday world, it is also rampant in the church!
I crossed paths with a dear friend yesterday and we had the opportunity to catch up just a bit. One thing we talked about was how neither of us read or listen to all the junk out there on social media – especially in the areas of politics and people’s response to COVID-19 and all that goes along with that!
One simply cannot post an opinion or support a view without being inundated with some kind of opposition. And a good part of it is nasty! Unkind things. Hurtful things. Things we shouldn’t think, much less say and God forbid that we would put it out there on social media for all the world to see…keeping in mind that what is put out there will always be out there…somewhere.
Jesus shared a parable about two men who had gone to the temple to pray – a Pharisee (a very well-versed teacher of God’s Law) and a tax collector (a thieving despised sell-out to the Romans if there ever was one!)
Here are the words Jesus used about the Pharisee:
…people who trusted in themselves…
…posing outwardly as upright and in right standing with God…
He began praying to himself in a self-righteous way…
Now that statement there really gets me! To whom are we supposed to pray? My answer would be God but, no, this “expert” in God’s Law began praying to himself!
There wasn’t an ounce of humility. There was no repentance. The Amplified Bible uses the word ostentatiously to describe how he stood to pray. The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as doing something in a way that is very obvious and is an attempt to make people notice you. It was all about him and how good he saw himself as being. As Jesus said this man trusted in himself and honestly believed he was righteous.
But then, how did Jesus reference the tax collector?
He didn’t stand so everyone could see and hear him, he stood at a distance…
He wouldn’t even raise his eyes toward heaven…
He struck his chest [in humility and repentance]…
He pleads for God’s mercy and grace.
He admitted he was an [especially wicked] sinner…
Many of us like to believe that we know it all and loudly (and often obnoxiously!) proclaim our opinions and no one is going to change our minds. We are the end-all and anyone who believes otherwise is flat out wrong!
Lord Jesus, may we be as the tax collector, for you said of him,
…this man went to his home justified [forgiven of the guilt of sin and placed in right standing with God] rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself [forsaking self-righteous pride] will be exalted.” v14 AMP
Amen…
Oct 15th, 2020, Thurs, 1:10 pm
Be the Victor!
Thank You, Father, for who You are and for who You made me to be. May I be ever striving to be that person. Amen.
Luke 18:1-8 (<<click here to read the passage)
Sometimes the best thing I can do is to put the Word out for us to take it in.
Now Jesus was telling the disciples a parable to make the point that at all times they ought to pray and not give up and lose heart, saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and had no respect for man. There was a [desperate] widow in that city and she kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice and legal protection from my adversary.’ For a time he would not; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow continues to bother me, I will give her justice and legal protection; otherwise by continually coming she [will be an intolerable annoyance and she] will wear me out.’” Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says! And will not [our just] God defend and avenge His elect [His chosen ones] who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay [in providing justice] on their behalf? I tell you that He will defend and avenge them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [this kind of persistent] faith on the earth?” AMP
As believers in Christ, it is important to be transparent. And so, I want to share from my own personal experience.
Up to the middle of this past August, I had been dealing with some personal issues on a couple of fronts. I didn’t like being controlled as I was. No one but myself was putting these things on me. I struggled under the weight of them. Off and on throughout my life, I have dealt with them. Sometimes I was powerful enough to not let them control me and other times they just ran me over and it was easier than fighting them.
But on August 17th I once again went to my Father, realizing that only in His strength, only with His wisdom, only with His mindset could I be the victor. So that was my prayer. And here it is almost two months later and in Him, I am conquering that which once trampled me underfoot!
As God has empowered me to overcome, so He can empower anyone! If we give ourselves over to Him, nothing – absolutely nothing – can separate us from his love (Romans 8:31-39<<click here to read the passage).
But, again from experience, we cannot give even the smallest of footholds to the enemy, be that the greater deceiver himself, or our own hearts and minds which are bent to sin and destruction. Every day when the thoughts that have overpowered me in the past begin to even peek around the corners of my mind, I stop them dead in their tracks by calling out to my Father…and He is there!
…will not [our just] God defend and avenge His elect [His chosen ones] who cry out to Him day and night? Will He delay [in providing justice] on (our) behalf? I tell you that He will defend and avenge (us) quickly. v7 AMP
Each day I give myself over to God. It is truly the only possible way to overcome whatever wants to overtake and control us. Whatever we struggle with, God can enable us to be the victor!
My continued prayer for myself and you is that when Jesus – the Son of Man comes, that He will…find [this kind of persistent] faith in each of us! Amen!
Oct 14th, 2020, Wed, 12:18 pm
Fire and Rain
A psalm of praise to begin our time together, Father! All praise to You!
The Lord is my strength and my [impenetrable] shield;
My heart trusts [with unwavering confidence] in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I shall thank Him and praise Him. Psalm 28:7 AMP
Luke 17:22-37 (<<click here to read the passage)
Many may think it strange but although I was a child of the 60s and 70s, I was an odd duck when it came to music. I don’t remember my dad saying I couldn’t listen to popular music of the day but in our home, beyond Gospel music, I remember listening to The Carpenters, Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass, The Lawrence Welk Show, lots of easy listening music, with a bit of classical music thrown in for good measure. Some of my fondest memories are of me and dad laying down in front of our big console stereo and starting a stack of albums with the volume turned up so that’s all we could hear!
Anyway, as I read this passage a song came to mind – and from an unusual source to boot! As I thought of rain and fire found in the verses, my mind flipped to a song in which those words factored in prominently. When I typed them into Google of course up popped James Taylor’s well-known hit, Fire and Rain. I was 7 years old when it was released but I remember several of my high school friends, about a decade later, being pretty big James Taylor fans.
So, once again, you’re probably thinking, “How in the world does this connect to what Jesus is saying in this passage?” Well, let me tell you!
In Jesus’ discourse, he speaks of the flood in Noah’s day (brought on by rain) and the destruction of Sodom (brought on by the rain of fire and burning sulfur). In both instances, calamity was brought upon mankind… judgment was brought upon mankind. When these events took place, life was going on as it seemingly always had.
…the people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage… v27 AMP
People were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building [carrying on business as usual, without regard for their sins] v28 AMP
For as verse 27 concludes, [they were indifferent to God]
That is a perpetual mentality for mankind. Many are indifferent to God throughout much of their lives.
Taylor’s inspiration for writing Fire and Rain fits in well here, too. Wikipedia says,
The first part of the song was about Taylor’s friend Suzanne, who died while he was in London working on his first album after being signed to Apple Records. Friends at home, concerned that it might distract Taylor from his big break, kept the tragic news from him and he found out six months later.
The second part details Taylor’s struggle to overcome drug addiction and depression.
The third part deals with coming to grips with fame and fortune, looking back at the road that got him to where he was at the time.
Life. Death. Struggles. Celebration. Perspective. We all experience these things – variations on a theme, for sure.
Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. v30 NLT
But in verse 33 Jesus brings everything into focus.
Whoever seeks to save his life will [eventually] lose it [through death], and whoever loses his life [in this world] will keep it [from the consequences of sin and separation from God] AMP
We for sure experience those variations on a theme, but most importantly amongst all the other things in life, we must focus on the most important thing – Christ and our relationship with Him. In the end, that is all that will really matter.
Oct 13th, 2020, Tues, 7:24 pm
Autumn Beauty
The virus is starting to make things crazy again, Father – not that that is a surprise to You! May we abide in You. May we think of others before ourselves. May we do everything we can to reflect Your love and light to the world around us. Amen.
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It was a cloudy day, but despite the lack of sunshine this is still a beautiful tree isn’t it? As I drove past it this morning heading out for my elementary route its stunning vibrance caught my eye. (And by the way, I didn’t take it from my bus! I drove back later in my truck.)
The first thing that went through my mind is that it would be absolutely gorgeous in my front yard! But can you tell me where it is growing? It is smack dab in the middle of an overgrown marshy area. The whole area is cattails and marsh grass. There is probably a spring in the area that feeds the pond on the other side of the road – but it obviously feeds the tree, too! An amazing display of autumn beauty!
In some ways, it hardly seems fair. We have a huge maple in our front yard, and it has more color this year than it ever has…some magnificently brilliant reds. But this other tree is breathtaking with all of its many hues of fiery orange!
The farmer across the way might be able to enjoy it while harvesting his soybeans and the house on the hill the other way might be able to see it. Motorists could admire its splendor if they happen to look that way as they zoom by. But otherwise there it sits.
But as I mulled these things over in my head, I became grateful that God placed that tree right where He did. It displays its radiance in a somewhat unexpected location. It was not crafted or shaped by any man; it just grew where a simple seedling fell. No one but God Himself can take credit for where it is and what it is.
How about you? You and that tree are very similar to one another! You are a magnificent example of His personal, hands-on creation. There is not another you in all the world! He made you just the way you are and placed you where you are. Never sell yourself short!
Take a moment and read through a psalm written by King David – a praise song to God!
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
…..and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
…..Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
…..as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
…..Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
…..before a single day had passed.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.
…..They cannot be numbered! Psalm 139:13-17 NLT
Oct 12th, 2020, Mon, 5:03 pm