1 pet. 1.10-12
to think that the prophets of the old testament didn't even see the grace of god, yet they labored for US. the salvation that has been given to us is what "angels long to look" at. to think, grace and salvation wasn't made available to satan when he rebelled against god. satan. an angel that has fallen does not get the salvation that we have access to. to think, angels that are before the throne of God are intrigued with the gift of salvation, that they long to look at it. Do we really realize what we have been given?
we have been given something that is so foreign to all. this is truly a holy gift. there is nothing like salvation. everything that God is & does is entirely holy. there is nothing that compares to the grace that we have been given.
being receivers of such a gift, we are able to experience the divine nature of God. to be on the receiving end of such should send us off the deep end.... this is the gospel. and this is how we should be living.. giving grace to to others because we have been given grace abundant.
have you ever been given a gift on Christmas day by someone you didn't "gift"? you suddenly feel in debt to them. ... to the effect that you feel guilty and immediately want to settle the score by getting them a gift as soon as you can. you throw out comments like "i have your gift but I didnt get around to wrapping it..". and you think in your mind that by saying that it would make them feel better about not receiving a gift in return. but really. does the person really feel better? what is really going on is that you are lying to yourself... trying to make yourself feel better. also, they most likely can see right through that. they know you didnt get them a gift...
but here is the problem. we have such a huge pride that we can just accept gifts. we dont know how to just take it in joy. everything in our culture tells us that such behavior is rude and disrespectful. but is it? it would be if we didnt value the gift. it is easier to "show" our appreciation by giving back rather than truly "appreciating" the gift.
this is just too foreign to us.
think about this.
how will a non-believer be able to accept the infinitely valuable grace of god... if we cant even accept a snow globe on christmas?
we need to make this "grace" more familiar. this grace shouldnt be foreign to those around the body of christ. if they are exposed to the grace then maybe they will be able to grasp the weight of the grace of God and salvation.
to learn that maybe guilt shouldnt be the first emotion we feel when we get "gifted".
maybe our first response should be joy.
how does this relate to god?
i dont know if this is a stretch or not.
but, remember when i said that this feeling of guilt and debt is because of our pride?
yes. the pride. we need to humble ourselves before God and see that the only thing we can give to him is our lives.
NOT to settle the debt. NO. because we LOVE a God that is THAT GOOD to us.
grace and peace.
al
5 comments:
geez, i know that feeling for sure. and when i see the person afterwards, there's a weirdness, awkwardness (is that spelled right?idk) hey, why do you think that God didn't make it available to satan afterwards? just picking your brain....
sounds like it should be a joke... "why did god not let satan receive the gift?"
"to get to the other side...?"
It is mind boggling isn't it? I told you about our new student, a junior at CLA named Zach Arakaki? :)
I'm going to put him on to your blog. He is constantly reading his Bible and looking for people to discuss it with. I think your blog will bless him and challenge him....
This is good stuff. It's sometimes hard to find blogs that attempt meaningful content. Your classes sound really interesting, too. -Elizabeth
when aunty got her laptop, there was a $300 rebate if u bought an ipod. so i used that. its pretty cool. i can write emails from it&go on youtube and use maps and stuff.
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