“Love will last for eternity. Hate will fade. Corruption will fade. Division will fade. Poverty will fade. Confusion will fade. Misunderstandings will face. All things will fade except faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.”
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“Galaxies of stars are, according to our understanding, so enormous we can not comprehend it, and yet they are like grains of sand to God. Imagine how much bigger God’s love is. It’s already so enormous to us we find it hard to comprehend, but it is surely a million times bigger than that! God is love. He loves us all, and his love is BIG!”
Not By Our Works, But By The Working Of His Grace
Below is an excerpt from my paraphrase of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Dear friends, the abundant provision of grace we have received has not been given to us without cost, on the contrary, it cost the Son of God his life. Jesus paid the full price for every blessing upon the cross, and that is why we now freely receive all the benefits that God gives to his children. From God’s perspective, all his blessings belong to us, because Jesus paid for all of them on our behalf. Jesus earned all the blessings, and then, as a perfect picture of his love for us, desired that the payment for his work would be credited to our account.
How deep is his love for us that he would do such a thing? We receive everything, because we are now living in the one who paid for everything; not by our works, but by the working of his grace. We are forgiven of sins, redeemed from brokenness, and established in his love through the blood of Jesus, spilt upon the cross for us. My fellow brothers and sisters, how great is Christ’s love for us? He did not withhold anything, but gave himself up freely, so that God could pour his grace upon all of us without restriction. This is not an act God does hastily; rather, he gives us an abundance of his grace with all divine wisdom and understanding. Worldly wisdom demands works, but God’s wisdom offers grace – it isn’t a risk to God; it is the power of God!
It now gives God great pleasure to make known to us the mystery of his will, his eternal purpose that has been stirring in his heart from the beginning: that we can rest in his Son. What a revelation! God doesn’t want to give mankind a burden to carry, but a place to rest. This is not merely a theoretical statement; it is an ever expanding revelation. Indeed, we, as the firstfruits, have already entered into this rest, and, in the fulfillment of the ages, all things in heaven and on earth will also be made new and enter into his rest, making all things one in perfect unity under his loving care.
My dear friends, we can be certain that God doesn’t give his rest to people based on their own accomplishments; on the contrary, we receive his rest through the perfect accomplishments of Christ. And now, through God’s grace, we have been adopted by God himself; we have become his children and his treasured possession, not based on our flawed merits, but rather on the perfect, finished work of Christ. God planned it all before time began, and through faith in Jesus we have entered into the ‘light’ of that plan. God, who is now outworking everything according to the purpose of his will, has created a way so that we, who are the first to hope in Christ, can truly rest in him, know him, and boast in his love, to the praise of his glory.
How, I ask you, did we find ourselves in Christ, the one whom we find rest for our souls, salvation for our spirits and God’s blessings in this life? Was it by our own efforts? Not at all! Rather, we were included in him when we heard the word of truth, the good news that through his life, sacrifice, death and resurrection we can now be included in his resurrected life. Now that you believe, you can be assured that your life is marked as a child of God with the heavenly seal, the promised Holy Spirit, given to you, to comfort you, empower you, and remind you daily of this wonderful reality. Indeed, the day is coming when we will inherit the kingdom of heaven itself. We’re not only going to heaven one day as servants; we will enter triumphantly, as sons and daughters. We won’t simply be part of the kingdom of heaven; rather, together with Christ, we will own it! We now belong to God, and for that reason we will inherit all that is God’s, and all this is by his will – Oh, how he loves us.
This is an excerpt from my paraphrase of Paul’s 4 prison letters (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians & Philemon) called: The Gospel Cannot Be Chained: Searching for grace in Paul’s prison letters. I shared the intros to each letter on my previous blog post, you can read it here, or you can take a look at it on amazon.com here.
The Disciple Who Jesus Loved
In my last post I shared about how Peter deserted Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, but we should also remember that there was also another disciple who failed Jesus that night. He too was in the garden of Gethsemane with Peter, and when Jesus was arrested he too ran off in fear and unfaithfulness. He too, in his weakness and humanity, was unfaithful to Jesus. But this disciple we know was not focused on how much he loved Jesus; his focus was on how much Jesus loved him.
The Apostle John, the author of the gospel of John, like all of us, really did love Jesus, but in contrast to Peter he didn’t put his confidence in his love for Jesus. Instead, he described himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. His focus was not on how much he loved Jesus, but on how much Jesus loved him.
John had a revelation that Christ’s love for him was the foundation for their relationship. He passionately loved Jesus, just as all of us do, but that was not the foundation for his relationship with Jesus. His focus was on the unfailing love Christ had towards him. Because of this revelation, even though he failed him in the garden, he could still be with Jesus in his time of need upon the cross. John was the only one of the twelve disciples who was at the cross with Jesus. The others were alone, weeping and feeling condemned that they had failed him.
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ‘Dear woman, here is your son’. John 19:25-26
John failed Jesus just as Peter did. He was unfaithful to Jesus just as Peter was. Yet while Peter was away from Christ feeling unworthy and weeping bitterly, John was at the foot of the cross. After he had failed Jesus he could come straight back to the foot of the cross and still be with him because he understood that his relationship with Jesus was not based on how much he loved Jesus, but on how much Jesus loved him. He understood the reason he could still be in Jesus presence was because his relationship with Jesus was not based on his faithfulness to Jesus, it was based on Jesus’ faithfulness to him, and Jesus never fails us!
We all need to have the revelation that we are the disciple Jesus loves. When we change our boast from “I am the disciple who loves Jesus” to “I am the disciple whom Jesus loves” we begin to receive the freedom and joy that God has promised to us in Christ. We no longer find our boast in what we are accomplishing for Christ; instead, our boast simply becomes Christ himself! Because of what Christ has done on our behalf we can live in God’s presence with confidence, even when, in our weakness and humanity, we fail God, because we know that our relationship with God is not based on how perfect our love is for him, but on how perfect his love is for us!
Peter was always trying to prove that he was the greatest disciple. Over time, he too learned that great faith is not about our great love for Christ, but it is about Christ’s great love for us. In this love we can rest with great assurance. In this love we can give God the glory that is rightfully his. In this love we can truly be free. In this love we can see Jesus for who he truly is. In this love God can transform us to love others in the same way.
When we rely on our efforts to be the foundation of our relationship with Christ, we never walk our journey of faith with confidence. However when our confidence is in Christ’s unfailing efforts, our walk of faith becomes one of absolute assurance!
It’s the revelation of how much Christ loves us that opens up the way for God to transform us into the great men and woman of God that we have always desired to be. We need to learn not to put our confidence in our efforts, not even it in the good things we do. As Christians, we naturally do good works, however, this is not where our confidence is placed, because the time will come when our efforts fail, and even our good works may fail, but Christ will never fail. What good news! He is our Rock. He is the reason our relationship with the Almighty is unshakable. He loves us, and his love is truly unfailing. Glory to God that’s good news!
(This blog post is an excerpt from my book “Look! The finished work of Jesus.” You can download a free copy here,or order a copy on Amazon here.)
The World Is Noise – But God Is Love
The world is full of noise. It sometimes feels like it is caving in on us, trying to overcome up with it’s distractions and pollution. People are beautiful. People are wonderful. People are not the problem; it seems that it is the combination of all things that cause things to become burdensome. When I talk about ‘the world’ I’m not thinking of people, but rather the combination of things that are at work within the overarching system.
The world is full of noise, and it makes it hard for us to find rest. Sometimes it even seems to be succeeding in it’s agenda to beat us down, to knock the air out of us; to cause us to give up, to become mundane and to let our dreams die. The world is – noise. It’s easy to be conscious of the world, because it’s always in our ear, it’s always before our eyes. I tend to define the world as noise, but it got me thinking about how we define God, and it really is a beautiful thing, for the definition of God is love.
God is love. The world, defined by noise, may be louder, but God, defined by love, is far more powerful. The world, in its indifference towards us, so easily knocks us down. God however, in his unfailing love, is always seeking to lift us up. God cares so deeply for you. He cares about your sorrow. He cares about your sadness and your disappointments. God cares that you’ve been hurt. God is not absent. He may not be as loud as the world, but he is with you. He is with me. How can I be sure of this? Because God is love, and love never fails us.
You don’t have to be strong all the time. The truth is sometimes we go through seasons of great sadness, but in those times, despite all the noise around you, remember the reality of God; remember what defines him. Remember that he is love, and he loves you completely; God is eternally strong, he has promised to be your strength, and he has not forgotten you. He holds you. He knows you. He loves you.
You’re so important to God. You’re so precious. You’re a star in his eyes. You are defined just as he is, for you are made in his image. You were created in the image of love, and love never fails. His love will lift you up. His love will quiet the noise. His love will see you through to better days.
With much love,
Mick
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(You can view a list of my book on my amazon author’s page here.)
How will we know the way without the law?
Some people argue that the law is essential to Christian living because it helps us know the way in which we should live. Some believe that without the law to direct us, how would we know what is good from bad? How will we know what God desires from us? How will we live a moral life? How will we know the way God wants us to walk?
The Apostle Thomas had a very similar thought. At the last supper Jesus said:
‘You know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas replied ‘Lord, we don’t even know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’
Thomas had a very sincere question. He was basically asking Jesus just how exactly they would ever be able to know the way if didn’t have any map or written directions?
What was Jesus’ response to Thomas? Did He say “you know the way because you have been instructed by the law?” Or did He say “you know the way because you have the Ten Commandments to guide you?” If not, then what did He say? Jesus answered:
“I am the way”
As Christians, we know the way to live, because we are led by, and are living in, ‘the way’ Himself! The Holy Spirit is not just a nice idea, He is real! One thing is for certain: When we do our part, He does His! Our part is to look to Christ for our justification before God, and the Holy Spirit’s part is to bring about the transformational life.
You can’t go the wrong way by putting all your confidence in Jesus and the fullness of His grace, because He is the way! It is when we try to find the way by following a written code that we actually lose our way, because our focus is no longer on our glorious saviour, but our own failed attempt at legalistic righteousness.
Christ loves righteousness, and Christ loves to see his beloved living in God’s ways. Christ also knows that this will only come to pass if we can look to Him alone. Complete dependence on the Spirit of Christ to lead us is what brings about a transformed life! The Apostle Paul also testifies to this wonderful truth:
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Anything that is loving and moral and good is from God, and we can rest assured that these good qualities will bear fruit in our lives by the power of the Spirit without ever seeking direction or help from the Law.
Why can we say with confidence, as Paul did, that Christ is the end of the Law for all who believe? Because now that we see Jesus; we see the power of His life, and understand that His powerful life is now living in us!
The law was never the Saviour of wicked mankind; it was given to mankind that we might find the saviour. Now that we have found Him, let us believe him when he says ‘I am the way’ and follow without looking back to the law.
Living in the New Covenant of God’s grace and being led by the Spirit isn’t a licence for immorality, it is freedom to let Christ transform your life without fear of condemnation that comes from the law, praise God.
Don’t Try To Pay Twice
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:32
If you go to a restaurant with a friend and, at the end of the meal, he tells you that he has already paid the bill for both of you, the result is that you have received your meal for free. It doesn’t mean that your meal was not paid for in full, it just means that you personally did not have to pay for it; instead, you received it as a gift through the generosity of your friend.
In this case, even if you wanted to pay for your meal you can’t because your friend has already paid for it. It would be an insult to your friend to go to the cashier and pay for your meal even though your friend had already paid for it. If you paid for it as well, the meal would have been paid for twice. Once is enough.
Likewise, we simply need to accept that Christ has already paid the full price for all of the good things God graciously gives to us and receive them thankfully as a gift. Jesus Christ did not only pay the price for all of our sins, he paid the price for all of the gifts of God in our lives as well. He did it all on our behalf, and it is through accepting this wonderful reality that we can be anchored in his love and be able to freely receive the blessings of God.
Jesus paid for all of our forgiveness and all of your blessings. It’s our job to joyfully believe that he has done it all on our behalf, and freely receive the abundant provision of God’s grace for our lives. This transaction is neither based on our performance nor is it because we deserve it by your good works; rather, it is because Jesus paid for all of them on our behalf.
Praise God that we belong to such a wonderful Savior! Boast in the greatness and the beauty and the love of Christ for our lives. Rejoice, for we are forever loved. Look to Jesus, give him the credit he deserves and praise God. Scripture tells us that we, as Christians, will reign in life because we receive the gift of his righteousness. We don’t reign in life because we have earned our own righteousness, but because we have received the gift of righteousness!
Allow yourself to be righteous because you belong to him. Believe it, and thank God for this precious gift. When we are rested in the reality of our covenant relationship with God, God is at work in us to transform our lives through the power of his Spirit. As a result, we see ourselves living more and more in the freedom which Jesus promised, and all this by the empowering gift of God’s wonderful grace!
(This is an excerpt from my book “Look! The finished work of Jesus”. You can download a free copy here.)
“We don’t experience an intimate relationship with God through changing ourselves, but rather through allowing God to be himself. He is the God of all grace. Accept it. Live it. Love it. This is who God is!”
God made the stars so high, so when we stared at them he could whisper to us “My love for you is higher.” He made the ocean so deep, so when we thought about it, he could whisper, “My love for you is deeper.” He made the expanse of the universe so wide, so that when we gazed in amazement at it, he could whisper to us, “My love for you is wider!”
Searching For Grace: A Novel (Part #6)
Freedom. What is it? Really, what does it mean to be free? I am free, but strangely enough it doesn’t feel anything like I imagined it should, at least according to my religious ideals anyway. Freedom isn’t comfortable. To be honest, often it isn’t even particularly enjoyable. In fact, I think my freedom is one of the reasons for my reoccurring sadness. Freedom, you see, does more than enlighten you to the truth within you; it also awakens you to the lies all around you.
The truth within is pure joy. To know my saviour in such a deeper, more personal way. To see Christ in me as he truly is, my hope of glory. To experience a relationship with the Divine void of my own self-foccussed fears and empty of condemnation. The truth within is incredibly liberating. It’s what freedom should be, and it is where my hope truly is located. But, like I said, I’ve realised that freedom is not just about seeing the glory within, but also facing the tragedy outside too.
I spent most of my life with my head buried deep in my own ministry. I had tunnel vision for so long that I truly believed that was the full vision of life; however, in reality I saw nothing clearly; neither my hope within, not the lies surrounding me. I was in a blur, and yet my religious worldview seemed clear. When someone tried to reveal either a truth or a lie that would destabilize my own masked idea of reality, I simply ignored it. Just like that. As if I heard nothing. Gone. Like magic.
Denial, I’ve come to realise upon my reflections, is a religious man’s best friend. I know, it was a close companion of mine for most of my life. And here is where freedom enters. This is what freedom did: It allowed me to stop denying thing that conflicted with my own religious zeal and ideology.
Freedom allowed me to start asking questions. Freedom allowed me permission to start doubting dogma and doctrines I’d never dared question before. Freedom gave me the courage to face the lies in my own life, in my church and in my profession as a pastor. Not to mention the lies I’d never dreamed possible taking place in the world around me.
So why does my freedom make me uncomfortable? Why does my freedom sometimes also plunge me into sadness? It’s because not everyone is free. I see so many pastors and church leaders, so many churchgoers too, who are still hiding behind the safety of a religious mask. I don’t say that callously. Please, believe me when I say I hold no judgement in my heart towards anyone. In fact, if I could be bitter it would be much easier, but then I would only be putting on another mask. I don’t want to be bitter. I don’t want to judge anyone, for it was through the realisation that I no longer wanted to judge others that I discovered I am free.
I realised I’m free, because I no longer desire, or feel it is my right, to judge others, nor do I judge myself. I want the best for everyone. I believe the best about everyone. I understand we all have weaknesses. I understand we all need to be reassured that we are loved. I accept that I am weak and in need of grace, and I only want grace to be poured out upon others. I am free from the mask. I’m free from being a hypocrite. I’m unmasked, honest, naked, and, more than ever, dependent upon God for every step I now take.
Freedom doesn’t always feel as good as it did living in a religious delusion, but I wouldn’t trade it in, and I’m not turning back now. Egypt can keep their onions. I’m sticking with God’s assurance that I’m going to make it to the promise land. Although it may not feel more comfortable, I’m sticking to the journey with my great God. Call me a fool if you must, but I believe it’s better to be free in the desert than a slave in Egypt.
