Posts Tagged: God’s grace
Grace: God’s Middle Name
Or is “Grace” God’s first, middle, and last name? Perhaps God is Grace from beginning to end?
A friend (who is also my twelve-step sponsor) sent me the following link: https://www-nytimes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.nytimes.com/2018/12/23/opinion/grace-jesus-christmas-christianity.amp.html.
I am not sure whether or not my sponsor realized how much I’ve been struggling with depression the past few days. Specifically, I’ve been wondering if God’s grace is truly enough for me. I’m probably the only person in the world who wonders that, right?
If you ever struggle with depression at this or any time of year, if you ever feel like an outsider, you need use the link (pasted above) to connect with the article by Peter Wehner.
Who knows? Maybe God is gracious after all. Maybe this link will help to link you to this Gracious God.
“On Rooting for Cinderella”
So, it was a good World Series, wasn’t it? It was heart-breaking for the Indians and their fans. It was exhilarating to “the lovable losers” (a.k.a. “the Cubs”).
And me?
Well, I live in Ohio, but my team is not the Indians. (I won’t mention the name of “my” team, but I will tell you that their initials are “The Cincinnati Reds.”)
However, despite living in Ohio now, I lived in the Chicago area for three years, and fell in love with the Cubbies, a love that persists—except, of course, when they play the Reds.
Stir in another factor in order to bake this ambivalence pie: I like to root for whoever is down, whoever is the most “Cinderella-ish.” Going into the World Series, the team that was most like Cinderella was Cleveland.
However, after four games, the Indians were up three to one, and were heading back to Cleveland. “Well,” I said to myself, “my good friend John is from Cleveland, so it is okay if the Indians win.
And, if I were a betting man, then that is precisely the way I would have bet. However, there would be several more HUGE “howevers.”
HOWEVER, the Cubs won the next two games in Cleveland, and in a back-and-forth wrestling match between the two Cinderellas, the Cubs won game seven. It was one of the best baseball games I have never watched. (I went to bed when the Cubs were up three to one, thinking that Chi Town had the matter well in hand. Silly me! Judge me not! I was tired!)
Virtually everything makes me think of God, even cliff-hanger Cinderella baseball wrestling matches.
God loves Cinderellas! This is true in the Old Testament, where God chose Cinderellas such as Abram and Sarah, Hannah, Gideon, and David. Indeed, Israel itself wasn’t much to look at. (See Deuteronomy 7:1-8, for example. Of course, no nation is much to look at. Sometimes, we forget that.)
The New Testament is all about God’s very very HUGE “however.” Jesus showed great love for Cinderella teams and Cinderella individuals. Jesus’ actions as well as his teachings confirm this. According to Luke 14:15-24, the Cinderellas of the world are the ones who get invited to the ball. Others are too busy being busy (and too busy making excuses) to attend.
I had lunch recently with a good friend who feels like a Cinderella. He thinks of all that he could have accomplished if only he had made better decisions in his life. I know this man very well. He has been exceedingly frank about his struggles and failings. Still, he thinks of himself as a Cinderella.
And yet, I think of him as a very successful person. He has accomplished a lot of really good things, including loving me. And I am not the easiest person in the world to love!
I suspect that all of us feel like Cinderella. Some of us feel that way some of the time, some most of the time, and some all of the time. We are all waiting for a handsome prince (or princess) to come and place the right shoe on our foot.
Perhaps God has already put the slipper on our foot. Perhaps the slipper is called “Grace!” And God’s grace is the hugest “however” of them all.
DTEB
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
- “Even a Sliver of Light” April 9, 2024“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:6, English Standard Version) I missed the total eclipse yesterday. There were a number of good reasons for this, but […]
- “The Process in Miracles and the Miracle of Process” March 11, 2024“2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids […]
- “The Power of Encouragement—Even for Old People” March 10, 2024“But encourage each other every day while it is ‘today.’ Help each other so none of you will become hardened because sin has tricked you.” (Hebrews 3:13, New Century Version) Yesterday, I was walking at a nearby park. There was a large group of young people some of whom were running while other young people […]
- “Endurance” March 10, 2024“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, English Standard Version) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us […]
- “The Limits of Non-Judgmentalism” February 24, 2024“Matt. 7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. Matt. 7:2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” (Matthew 7:1-2, English Standard Version) This morning, in my virtual 12-step meeting, we discussed the topic of judgmentalism. There were many wise […]
- “Delighting in Being Told What to Do?!?” February 23, 2024“Psa. 112:1 Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! 2 His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures […]
- “Character is the Real Lesson” January 19, 2024I am often confused about what lesson I’m really supposed to be learning. For example, this morning I was trying to knock out several Spanish lessons. My intentions were a lot better than my internet connection. I’ve done three lessons. Or rather, I’ve done two lessons. One of them I did twice because the internet […]
- “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked” January 1, 2024Each year, I try to come up with one word or a short phrase for what I intend to work on in the upcoming year. 2024 is “The Year of Becoming Un-Planked”. What?!! What does that even mean? So glad that you asked! Jesus said to his disciples, “Why do you look at the speck […]
- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
- “That Don’t Impress God Much” December 14, 2023DTEB, “That Don’t Impress God Much” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” (Song by Robert John Lange and Shania Twain) Micah 6:8 (MSG) “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be […]
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