We need more grace.
Let’s face it… We are TERRIBLE at showing grace. At our churches, it is taught, but ignored by all of us. I find myself being quick to judge and interject and slow to show grace and love.
I will be the first to admit that I fail at this daily. Even now, as I write this I think back to this morning when I said something which was unintentionally insensitive with my fiancé.
Immediately I was defensive and quick to protect myself.
We know this is not the right way to go about living as a believer, yet it is so easy to apply.
Where is our grace?
Are we so immature–spiritually speaking–that we ignore Christ and his gospel of grace and peace that we rush to protect ourselves?
Grace abounds for us right?
Believers must seek to live in grace.
THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION.
Related: Jesus, Help Me Love
What grace is taught?
When I look at the Bible, I can’t help but see how radical the scriptures say to be. Let’s look at what Jesus said at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).
When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek. (Matthew 5:39)
This is just one verse that demonstrates what grace the Christian is supposed to display?
We teach this ALL the time!
Sermons upon sermons… (John 1; Ephesians 2; Colossians 3; James 4)
The biblical writers were so intentional about explaining that God gives us grace. It should be clear that we are to do the same for others.
“Father, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
We teach to show grace to those around us. Its pretty clear. We have to work really hard to ignore this teaching.
Or maybe we just don’t care…
We just ignore it.
Most of us would all agree that the Bible is pretty clear.
So is it that I often show very little grace? Why do I focus on protecting myself and not loving others–even if I haven’t done anything wrong.
I think the answer is simple.
WE IGNORE JESUS BECAUSE WE DON’T TRULY BELIEVE THAT IS WHAT HE MEANT.
We ignore it because in our minds he said:
Forgive those who hurt agree with you…
When some one hurts you, turn the other cheek defend yourself.
Do not overcome evil by evil, but overcome evil with good–unless they deserve evil.
These are just a few of the qualifiers we add to the radical teachings of Jesus.
We ignore his teachings because they are hard! It is so difficult to love those who hurt us or disagree with us.
YET, that is the thing we are called to do.
We are commanded to give grace to those who offend us, hurt us, misspeak, ask for grace, fail us, betray us, lie about us…
This is the command of Christ.
Christ isn’t here to give you an easy life. He asked that you pick up the most difficult one.
Each day we are presented new opportunities to give grace. There are a lot of people out there ready to trespass against us.
What’s the radical response?
Forgive us of our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
After all, we are radicals.
Peace.