August 18
When Grace Lived Among Us
John 1:14-17
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth….16 Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, 17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:14, 16-17
There's a world around you that you might not be aware of. If so, these next 30 days will be full of eye-opening wonder! What is now dull and opaque is about to be bathed in color and light. You are about to discover grace, which is nothing short of amazing.
The Apostle John grew up in a world governed by law: the "Law of Moses." Jews of his generation learned and lived by 613 laws in the Pentateuch. As a result, they knew right from wrong, good from bad, and how to play by the rules. Your life can go pretty well playing by the rules. But it might not be much fun.
One day, while rowing close to shore, John heard a voice. “Get out of your boat,” it said. “And come follow me.”
It would be an understatement to say that John’s boat got rocked that day. His whole world got rocked. Because the One calling him was no less than Jesus.
John followed, watched, learned, experienced, and imitated. Fifty years later, he wrote, “The One who got me out of my boat was glorious. Because he was full of grace and truth. As a result of him, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness”
(John 1:14-16, my paraphrase).
The One filled with grace taught John a new way of seeing and a new way of living. John became saturated in grace over the three years he spent with Jesus. John, steeped in law, became a new person. A grace-based person. John became "the beloved disciple" – a person so filled with Jesus' love and example that he genuinely loved life. He loved people, and he loved himself.
Many people view our world through transactional lenses. They measure things by cost and effort. "How much time will I need to spend to get this thing to turn a profit?" "How much effort will I need to put into this relationship to make it worthwhile for me?" That's an equation mentality.
By watching Jesus, John learned that regardless of what goes on, you don’t have to get back more, or even break even. With God’s great love residing in you, you can live with a freedom mentality because you've already received so much more than you hoped for or deserved.
30 Days of Grace
That's what we will look at and learn about for the next 30 days: how to view the world through grace lenses, and experience the world by grace.
Imagine our world filled with givers instead of takers. What would it be like if everyone you encountered earnestly sought to give you more love, more time, more attention, and more resources than you could repay? Imagine everyone working to outdo each other in understanding, forgiving, providing, and caring.
Then, imagine what it would be like to walk around in your own skin, underneath which was someone who sought to give, forgive, understand, and care, no matter what kind of person you were dealing with. That's what Jesus was like when He was here. He was "full of grace and truth." How might it feel if you became a person like that?
Within these next 30 days, I hope you’ll find out.
Let’s pray about it as we begin:
Lord Jesus, during these next 30 days, I want to experience Your grace as never
before, and I want to become a person who gives grace like You do. Please work with
me to become a master of grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
There's a world around you that you might not be aware of. If so, these next 30 days will be full of eye-opening wonder! What is now dull and opaque is about to be bathed in color and light. You are about to discover grace, which is nothing short of amazing.
The Apostle John grew up in a world governed by law: the "Law of Moses." Jews of his generation learned and lived by 613 laws in the Pentateuch. As a result, they knew right from wrong, good from bad, and how to play by the rules. Your life can go pretty well playing by the rules. But it might not be much fun.
One day, while rowing close to shore, John heard a voice. “Get out of your boat,” it said. “And come follow me.”
It would be an understatement to say that John’s boat got rocked that day. His whole world got rocked. Because the One calling him was no less than Jesus.
John followed, watched, learned, experienced, and imitated. Fifty years later, he wrote, “The One who got me out of my boat was glorious. Because he was full of grace and truth. As a result of him, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness”
(John 1:14-16, my paraphrase).
The One filled with grace taught John a new way of seeing and a new way of living. John became saturated in grace over the three years he spent with Jesus. John, steeped in law, became a new person. A grace-based person. John became "the beloved disciple" – a person so filled with Jesus' love and example that he genuinely loved life. He loved people, and he loved himself.
Many people view our world through transactional lenses. They measure things by cost and effort. "How much time will I need to spend to get this thing to turn a profit?" "How much effort will I need to put into this relationship to make it worthwhile for me?" That's an equation mentality.
By watching Jesus, John learned that regardless of what goes on, you don’t have to get back more, or even break even. With God’s great love residing in you, you can live with a freedom mentality because you've already received so much more than you hoped for or deserved.
30 Days of Grace
That's what we will look at and learn about for the next 30 days: how to view the world through grace lenses, and experience the world by grace.
Imagine our world filled with givers instead of takers. What would it be like if everyone you encountered earnestly sought to give you more love, more time, more attention, and more resources than you could repay? Imagine everyone working to outdo each other in understanding, forgiving, providing, and caring.
Then, imagine what it would be like to walk around in your own skin, underneath which was someone who sought to give, forgive, understand, and care, no matter what kind of person you were dealing with. That's what Jesus was like when He was here. He was "full of grace and truth." How might it feel if you became a person like that?
Within these next 30 days, I hope you’ll find out.
Let’s pray about it as we begin:
Lord Jesus, during these next 30 days, I want to experience Your grace as never
before, and I want to become a person who gives grace like You do. Please work with
me to become a master of grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
August 19
God’s Name is Grace
Exodus 34:1-7
The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:6-7
It makes sense that Jesus was full of grace; His Father was too.
Moses wanted to know God more deeply after leading the people out of Egypt and into the wilderness. “Please, show me your glory” he requested (Ex. 33:18).
“You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live” (Ex. 33:20). “But I’ll do the next best thing. I will put you in the crevice of a rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back…” (Ex. 33:21-22, with additions by me). I call this "The day God mooned Moses."
“The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed, “The Lord – the Lord, is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation” (Ex. 34:6-7).
“Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshipped” (Ex. 34:8).
The current king of England is Charles III. More accurately, he’s “Your Royal Majesty King Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor.” Apparently, the more important you are, the more names you have.
When God reveals His full name to Moses, it’s 58 words long. (In English. In Hebrew, it’s 28 words.) We normally address Him simply as “Lord,” “God,” or “Father,” but if you want to be completely accurate, His full name is 58 words long.
Moses asks to know God more, and God answers with thirteen attributes. This list of God's characteristics is still used in Jewish liturgies today.
1. Lord (YHWH, compassionate before a person sins).
2. Lord (YHWH, compassionate after a person sins).
3. God (El, possessing power to bestow kindness).
4. Compassionate (Rahum, that humans might not be distressed).
5. Gracious (Chanun, if humans are already distressed).
6. Slow to anger (Erech Apim).
7. Abounding in faithful love (Rav Chesed).
8. Abounding in truth (Emet, fulfilling His promises).
9. Maintaining faithful love (Notzer Chesed La’alafim, throughout generations).
10. Forgiving iniquity (Noseh Avon).
11. Forgiving willful sin (Vafeshah).
12. Forgiving error (Vchata’ah).
13. Cleansing (Vnakeh, pardoning).
Jesus memorized this list. And lived it.
Memorizing Ex. 34:6-7 will help you understand grace, recognize it when you see it, and live it out. That’s your assignment for this week, should you choose to accept it.
Start by rereading the 58 words on the page. What jumps out at you?
Read the 58 words a second time. Why do you suppose God repeats His name "The Lord" twice? What does the Hebrew understanding in my list of 13 tell you about this? What does your new understanding of the repetition (compassionate before and after someone sins) tell you about grace?
Read the 58 words a third time. What does this title tell you about God?
Add this to your observations: you were made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27). What does this list tell you about yourself, at your best?
Now write out Ex. 34:6-7 by hand on a small piece of paper. Carry it around and pull it out at least once a day for the rest of the week.
Pray this prayer:
Father, You are the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Yet you do not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of sin on the family to the third and fourth generation. Thank You for being the God of all grace. Even your punishment is filled with compassion, because punishment brings repentance, and repentance brings pardon and purity, and You cut short the effects of our sin on future generations. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
It makes sense that Jesus was full of grace; His Father was too.
Moses wanted to know God more deeply after leading the people out of Egypt and into the wilderness. “Please, show me your glory” he requested (Ex. 33:18).
“You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live” (Ex. 33:20). “But I’ll do the next best thing. I will put you in the crevice of a rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back…” (Ex. 33:21-22, with additions by me). I call this "The day God mooned Moses."
“The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed, “The Lord – the Lord, is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation” (Ex. 34:6-7).
“Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshipped” (Ex. 34:8).
The current king of England is Charles III. More accurately, he’s “Your Royal Majesty King Charles Philip Arthur George Mountbatten-Windsor.” Apparently, the more important you are, the more names you have.
When God reveals His full name to Moses, it’s 58 words long. (In English. In Hebrew, it’s 28 words.) We normally address Him simply as “Lord,” “God,” or “Father,” but if you want to be completely accurate, His full name is 58 words long.
Moses asks to know God more, and God answers with thirteen attributes. This list of God's characteristics is still used in Jewish liturgies today.
1. Lord (YHWH, compassionate before a person sins).
2. Lord (YHWH, compassionate after a person sins).
3. God (El, possessing power to bestow kindness).
4. Compassionate (Rahum, that humans might not be distressed).
5. Gracious (Chanun, if humans are already distressed).
6. Slow to anger (Erech Apim).
7. Abounding in faithful love (Rav Chesed).
8. Abounding in truth (Emet, fulfilling His promises).
9. Maintaining faithful love (Notzer Chesed La’alafim, throughout generations).
10. Forgiving iniquity (Noseh Avon).
11. Forgiving willful sin (Vafeshah).
12. Forgiving error (Vchata’ah).
13. Cleansing (Vnakeh, pardoning).
Jesus memorized this list. And lived it.
Memorizing Ex. 34:6-7 will help you understand grace, recognize it when you see it, and live it out. That’s your assignment for this week, should you choose to accept it.
Start by rereading the 58 words on the page. What jumps out at you?
Read the 58 words a second time. Why do you suppose God repeats His name "The Lord" twice? What does the Hebrew understanding in my list of 13 tell you about this? What does your new understanding of the repetition (compassionate before and after someone sins) tell you about grace?
Read the 58 words a third time. What does this title tell you about God?
Add this to your observations: you were made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27). What does this list tell you about yourself, at your best?
Now write out Ex. 34:6-7 by hand on a small piece of paper. Carry it around and pull it out at least once a day for the rest of the week.
Pray this prayer:
Father, You are the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Yet you do not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of sin on the family to the third and fourth generation. Thank You for being the God of all grace. Even your punishment is filled with compassion, because punishment brings repentance, and repentance brings pardon and purity, and You cut short the effects of our sin on future generations. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
August 20
What is Grace?
Exodus 34:6-7
The Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,7 maintaining faithful love to a
thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:6-7
Yes, today’s Scripture is identical to yesterday’s. It’ll help you memorize it!
But here’s a new thought: the Greek New Testament word for grace is charis. Greek philosophers didn't widely use the term because the term was foreign to their understanding of how the world works. They believed in merit - in earning what you received. By its very nature, grace can't be earned. It's always given as a gift. It's God's unmerited favor.
By contrast, the Hebrew Old Testament uses the word hesed to describe God's steadfast love. His love isn't based on anything we do. God's love is based entirely on God's character, which is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in faithful love and truth.
God doesn’t love us because of the things we do. He loves us because He is love. Two great things about this: (1) because God is love, there is nothing we can do to make Him love us more than He already does, and (2) because of God’s love, He wants to give us much more than we deserve.
Here’s a simple way to understand it:
- Justice gives me what I deserve.
- Mercy doesn’t give me what I deserve.
- Grace gives me what I don’t deserve.
During my days in seminary, I served as the Youth Pastor of a church in Colorado. One summer, we constructed an entirely new youth building. Everything was fresh, clean, and beautiful. One night, some teens snuck into the building unsupervised. One of the guys decided to show off his martial arts moves. After a few air kicks, he accidentally punched his leg through one of our brand-new walls, creating a big hole in the freshly installed drywall.
I got a call from the kid’s parents the next day, explaining what he’d done. “We’ve let Tim know he’ll be paying to replace the wall, and he’ll be helping do the repairs himself,” they said. Tim’s parents were thinking about justice. Justice is the right way to maintain a good and right society, and a great way to help your children understand the importance of
taking responsibility for their own actions.
I was thinking a little differently.
Tim's hole was on the right wall, just inside the room's entrance. I had already planned to put a bulletin board there. The board would permanently cover the spot. There was no need to redo the drywall.
Instead of justice, Tim got mercy. If I'd named the room after him or taken him out for ice cream, that would have been grace.
Grace is the cornerstone of Christianity. Some define it by the acronym G.R.A.C.E.:
God's Riches At Christ's Expense. To attain favor with God, Islam requires one to practice the Five Pillars, Buddhism requires following the eightfold path, and Hinduism requires a repeated cycle of deaths and rebirths. Christianity requires… nothing on the part of the recipient. It's a divine gift, freely given. Jesus maintained the balance of justice in the universe by paying the price for our wrongdoings with His own life, and then turned around and offered us eternal life based on His payment, not ours.
Pray this prayer:
Father, once again today I thank You for being the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Yet you do not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of sin on the family to the third and fourth generation. I deserved spiritual death. Thank You for giving me eternal life instead. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:6-7
Yes, today’s Scripture is identical to yesterday’s. It’ll help you memorize it!
But here’s a new thought: the Greek New Testament word for grace is charis. Greek philosophers didn't widely use the term because the term was foreign to their understanding of how the world works. They believed in merit - in earning what you received. By its very nature, grace can't be earned. It's always given as a gift. It's God's unmerited favor.
By contrast, the Hebrew Old Testament uses the word hesed to describe God's steadfast love. His love isn't based on anything we do. God's love is based entirely on God's character, which is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in faithful love and truth.
God doesn’t love us because of the things we do. He loves us because He is love. Two great things about this: (1) because God is love, there is nothing we can do to make Him love us more than He already does, and (2) because of God’s love, He wants to give us much more than we deserve.
Here’s a simple way to understand it:
- Justice gives me what I deserve.
- Mercy doesn’t give me what I deserve.
- Grace gives me what I don’t deserve.
During my days in seminary, I served as the Youth Pastor of a church in Colorado. One summer, we constructed an entirely new youth building. Everything was fresh, clean, and beautiful. One night, some teens snuck into the building unsupervised. One of the guys decided to show off his martial arts moves. After a few air kicks, he accidentally punched his leg through one of our brand-new walls, creating a big hole in the freshly installed drywall.
I got a call from the kid’s parents the next day, explaining what he’d done. “We’ve let Tim know he’ll be paying to replace the wall, and he’ll be helping do the repairs himself,” they said. Tim’s parents were thinking about justice. Justice is the right way to maintain a good and right society, and a great way to help your children understand the importance of
taking responsibility for their own actions.
I was thinking a little differently.
Tim's hole was on the right wall, just inside the room's entrance. I had already planned to put a bulletin board there. The board would permanently cover the spot. There was no need to redo the drywall.
Instead of justice, Tim got mercy. If I'd named the room after him or taken him out for ice cream, that would have been grace.
Grace is the cornerstone of Christianity. Some define it by the acronym G.R.A.C.E.:
God's Riches At Christ's Expense. To attain favor with God, Islam requires one to practice the Five Pillars, Buddhism requires following the eightfold path, and Hinduism requires a repeated cycle of deaths and rebirths. Christianity requires… nothing on the part of the recipient. It's a divine gift, freely given. Jesus maintained the balance of justice in the universe by paying the price for our wrongdoings with His own life, and then turned around and offered us eternal life based on His payment, not ours.
Pray this prayer:
Father, once again today I thank You for being the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Yet you do not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of sin on the family to the third and fourth generation. I deserved spiritual death. Thank You for giving me eternal life instead. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
August 21
God’s Greatest Gift
Ephesians 2:1-9
For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
My life was changed on January 20, 1971. That night, I invited Jesus into my life, to forgive my sins, and become my Lord and Savior. According to the Bible, I crossed from death to life (Jn. 5:24) and darkness to light (Acts 26:19).
There was a Lifebuoy soap commercial airing at the time. It showed a guy showering. As he lathered up, his body started to levitate. By the time he exited the shower, he was five feet off the ground. I felt like that for the first six months of my Christian life. I was walking on air, above all my circumstances.
Over time, living with the Holy Spirit became normal for me. I got used to what it felt like to be a Christian. Somewhere along the way, I found myself taking it for granted. Seventeen years into my Christian life, a pastor reminded me (and a room full of others) that salvation through Jesus is the greatest gift I've ever received. That night, I decided to never take my salvation for granted again. Since that day, my first prayer every morning is, "Lord, thank You for saving me."
In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul explains that all of us were “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). We weren’t just unaware, clueless, bad, or wounded. We were spiritually dead. “But God…,” Paul says. It’s one of the greatest phrases in Scripture: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses” (Eph. 2:4-5).
Read that last sentence again.
The thought continues, “You are saved by grace!” (Eph. 2:5b). Along with being saved, “He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Construct a picture of this in your mind. Right now, you are spiritually seated with Jesus in heaven. I’m not quite sure how that even works, but it’s a transcendent concept, don’t you agree?
Paul then tells us the purpose for seating us in heaven. He says, “…so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7). What a promise! In heaven, you’ll be an exhibition of God’s uncountable riches!
All of this is available for one simple reason: grace. God's grace. “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
The gift of salvation is activated when a person expresses faith in Jesus. It isn't something we earn; it's a gift freely given. The whole package includes:
What else even comes close?
Pray with me:
Lord Jesus, thank You for my salvation and all that comes with it. If You never did
anything more for me, I would still owe You the rest of my life! In Jesus' name, Amen!
My life was changed on January 20, 1971. That night, I invited Jesus into my life, to forgive my sins, and become my Lord and Savior. According to the Bible, I crossed from death to life (Jn. 5:24) and darkness to light (Acts 26:19).
There was a Lifebuoy soap commercial airing at the time. It showed a guy showering. As he lathered up, his body started to levitate. By the time he exited the shower, he was five feet off the ground. I felt like that for the first six months of my Christian life. I was walking on air, above all my circumstances.
Over time, living with the Holy Spirit became normal for me. I got used to what it felt like to be a Christian. Somewhere along the way, I found myself taking it for granted. Seventeen years into my Christian life, a pastor reminded me (and a room full of others) that salvation through Jesus is the greatest gift I've ever received. That night, I decided to never take my salvation for granted again. Since that day, my first prayer every morning is, "Lord, thank You for saving me."
In Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul explains that all of us were “dead in our trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). We weren’t just unaware, clueless, bad, or wounded. We were spiritually dead. “But God…,” Paul says. It’s one of the greatest phrases in Scripture: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses” (Eph. 2:4-5).
Read that last sentence again.
The thought continues, “You are saved by grace!” (Eph. 2:5b). Along with being saved, “He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6). Construct a picture of this in your mind. Right now, you are spiritually seated with Jesus in heaven. I’m not quite sure how that even works, but it’s a transcendent concept, don’t you agree?
Paul then tells us the purpose for seating us in heaven. He says, “…so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:7). What a promise! In heaven, you’ll be an exhibition of God’s uncountable riches!
All of this is available for one simple reason: grace. God's grace. “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).
The gift of salvation is activated when a person expresses faith in Jesus. It isn't something we earn; it's a gift freely given. The whole package includes:
- Eternal life (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 6:23).
- Forgiveness of sin (Eph. 1:7; 1 Jn. 1:9).
- The indwelling of the Spirit, including His guidance, provision, protection, an blessing (Jn. 14:16-17; Acts 2:38).
- Adoption into God’s family as His son or daughter (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:15-16).
- A new spiritual nature (2 Cor. 5:17).
- Peace with God (Rom. 5:1).
- Direct access to God through prayer (Heb. 4:16).
- Membership in the church family (Eph. 2:19).
- One or more spiritual gifts for service in the church (1 Cor. 12:4-11).
- A home in heaven (Jn. 14:3).
What else even comes close?
Pray with me:
Lord Jesus, thank You for my salvation and all that comes with it. If You never did
anything more for me, I would still owe You the rest of my life! In Jesus' name, Amen!
August 22
Costly and Free
Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Galatians 3:13
Early in my swimming career, my dad bought me a split-timing stopwatch. Today, all stopwatches have this feature, but back then, it was a big deal. "Free" gifts are rarely truly free. While the stopwatch was free to me, it cost dad over $100. This is a poor comparison for what I want to bring to your attention today, but stay with me.
Personally, I hesitate to hand people expensive presents with no strings attached. People sometimes take advantage of others' generosity. Or worse, they take the gift for granted.
I learned this the hard way when our church gave camp scholarships for free. One year, Forest Home Christian Conference Center was offering a week of Family Camp almost for free. It normally costs around $2,000 per family to attend a week of camp. Forest Home was offering military families the opportunity to come for just $100. I spread the word about this around New Song. Eleven families signed up. An officer in our church was so moved by Forest Home's generosity that he raised $1,100 to enable each of those families to attend for free. Then, he went the second mile and raised another $1,100 so each of them could have $100 to spend at the snack bar.
Camp started on Sunday night. As I prayed for God's work in those families, I was feeling great about all the generosity they had received. I continued feeling great until Tuesday afternoon. The camp registrar called and asked, "Do you know what happened to the Smith and Jones families?"
“I don’t,” I said. “What happened?”
“They didn’t show up.”
I made two quick calls to each. Both families had decided not to go, and for no particular reason. They just wanted to stay home instead. Since they had paid nothing for the camp, they felt no commitment to it.
What these two families didn't consider was the cost others paid to enable their free gift. Anonymous donors had invested thousands of dollars to pay their tuition. They had sacrificed so that someone else could experience a refreshing week of camp.
Salvation is absolutely free, but not for Jesus.
God forbid that you and I ever take for granted the costliness of what was paid on our behalf!
Good Friday
Year after year, New Song's Good Friday service is our most meaningful worship session of the year. Our full focus is on the unspeakably great and painful price Jesus paid for us on that day in history. He was despised, rejected, humiliated, mocked, scourged, and spat upon. He was forced to carry a 140-pound crossbeam up the hill while crowds jeered. He was stripped, nails driven through his hands and feet, His cross was lifted and then dropped into a pre-drilled hole as the nail wounds vibrated through extremities and His raw back rubbed against the rough-sawn lumber. As He hung there, gasping for breath, the Father separated Himself from the Son for the first time in eternity. And then, the worst part: He cried out in anguish as the sins of the world were laid upon His soul. Crucifixion normally kills through slow suffocation. Jesus died of a broken heart.
Jesus not only died for us, His incarnation altered Him for all eternity. No one knows exactly how, but before He became human, Jesus was omnipresent throughout the universe. Upon ascending back to heaven, He retained, in some form, the humanity He took on while living among us.
I believe that at least once a year, every sincere Christ-follower should devote an evening to remembering and expressing gratitude for the Incarnation and the Cross. When we do so, our faith is renewed, and our gratefulness is deepened. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).
Let’s express our gratitude:
Savior, thank You for enduring mocking and insults, a crown of thorns, and thirty- nine lashes for me. Thank You for carrying that cross through the streets and up the hill to Calvary. Thank You for letting them nail You, and place You upright, and for bearing my sins as the Father laid them on You that day. You could have called on twelve legions of angels. You could have stopped it all with one word from Your mouth. My salvation is full and free because You paid for it in such a costly way. I remember, and I recommit my life to You here and now, Lord Jesus.
Early in my swimming career, my dad bought me a split-timing stopwatch. Today, all stopwatches have this feature, but back then, it was a big deal. "Free" gifts are rarely truly free. While the stopwatch was free to me, it cost dad over $100. This is a poor comparison for what I want to bring to your attention today, but stay with me.
Personally, I hesitate to hand people expensive presents with no strings attached. People sometimes take advantage of others' generosity. Or worse, they take the gift for granted.
I learned this the hard way when our church gave camp scholarships for free. One year, Forest Home Christian Conference Center was offering a week of Family Camp almost for free. It normally costs around $2,000 per family to attend a week of camp. Forest Home was offering military families the opportunity to come for just $100. I spread the word about this around New Song. Eleven families signed up. An officer in our church was so moved by Forest Home's generosity that he raised $1,100 to enable each of those families to attend for free. Then, he went the second mile and raised another $1,100 so each of them could have $100 to spend at the snack bar.
Camp started on Sunday night. As I prayed for God's work in those families, I was feeling great about all the generosity they had received. I continued feeling great until Tuesday afternoon. The camp registrar called and asked, "Do you know what happened to the Smith and Jones families?"
“I don’t,” I said. “What happened?”
“They didn’t show up.”
I made two quick calls to each. Both families had decided not to go, and for no particular reason. They just wanted to stay home instead. Since they had paid nothing for the camp, they felt no commitment to it.
What these two families didn't consider was the cost others paid to enable their free gift. Anonymous donors had invested thousands of dollars to pay their tuition. They had sacrificed so that someone else could experience a refreshing week of camp.
Salvation is absolutely free, but not for Jesus.
- "He was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was upon him, and we are healed by his wounds." (Is. 53:5).
- "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." (Gal. 3:13).
God forbid that you and I ever take for granted the costliness of what was paid on our behalf!
Good Friday
Year after year, New Song's Good Friday service is our most meaningful worship session of the year. Our full focus is on the unspeakably great and painful price Jesus paid for us on that day in history. He was despised, rejected, humiliated, mocked, scourged, and spat upon. He was forced to carry a 140-pound crossbeam up the hill while crowds jeered. He was stripped, nails driven through his hands and feet, His cross was lifted and then dropped into a pre-drilled hole as the nail wounds vibrated through extremities and His raw back rubbed against the rough-sawn lumber. As He hung there, gasping for breath, the Father separated Himself from the Son for the first time in eternity. And then, the worst part: He cried out in anguish as the sins of the world were laid upon His soul. Crucifixion normally kills through slow suffocation. Jesus died of a broken heart.
Jesus not only died for us, His incarnation altered Him for all eternity. No one knows exactly how, but before He became human, Jesus was omnipresent throughout the universe. Upon ascending back to heaven, He retained, in some form, the humanity He took on while living among us.
I believe that at least once a year, every sincere Christ-follower should devote an evening to remembering and expressing gratitude for the Incarnation and the Cross. When we do so, our faith is renewed, and our gratefulness is deepened. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet. 2:24).
Let’s express our gratitude:
Savior, thank You for enduring mocking and insults, a crown of thorns, and thirty- nine lashes for me. Thank You for carrying that cross through the streets and up the hill to Calvary. Thank You for letting them nail You, and place You upright, and for bearing my sins as the Father laid them on You that day. You could have called on twelve legions of angels. You could have stopped it all with one word from Your mouth. My salvation is full and free because You paid for it in such a costly way. I remember, and I recommit my life to You here and now, Lord Jesus.
August 23
Surprising Grace
Ephesians 3:2-6
You have heard about the administration of God’s grace that he gave me for you. 3 The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. 4 By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5 This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Ephesians 3:2-6
Before Jesus came, our world didn't serve many free lunches. That's why, when grace appeared, it was so surprising. Not even the prophets understood that God would do something so outrageous as to pay for our sins with the life of His Son, and not only let us go free, but grant us eternal life here on earth and in heaven forever.
Paul calls grace a mystery. In our culture, the word “mystery” refers to a crime or problem to be solved. In the Bible, a mystery is something we could not know without divine revelation.
Read the passage above again, noticing what Paul says about this wonderful thing called grace.
This week we’ve read that Jesus is full of grace (Jn. 1:14); that God’s full name is grace (Ex. 34:6-7); that grace and all that comes with it is the greatest gift ever given and ever
received (Eph. 2:1-9); that it was given at the highest cost to Jesus, and at no cost to us (Gal. 3:13). Think back over what you’ve read, heart, and learned about grace this week.
What surprises you about grace? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write down one specific way you want to relate to God more closely or authentically now that you know what you do about grace:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is one thing you’d like to say to God about His amazing grace?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write out a prayer of thanks for God’s grace: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Before Jesus came, our world didn't serve many free lunches. That's why, when grace appeared, it was so surprising. Not even the prophets understood that God would do something so outrageous as to pay for our sins with the life of His Son, and not only let us go free, but grant us eternal life here on earth and in heaven forever.
Paul calls grace a mystery. In our culture, the word “mystery” refers to a crime or problem to be solved. In the Bible, a mystery is something we could not know without divine revelation.
Read the passage above again, noticing what Paul says about this wonderful thing called grace.
This week we’ve read that Jesus is full of grace (Jn. 1:14); that God’s full name is grace (Ex. 34:6-7); that grace and all that comes with it is the greatest gift ever given and ever
received (Eph. 2:1-9); that it was given at the highest cost to Jesus, and at no cost to us (Gal. 3:13). Think back over what you’ve read, heart, and learned about grace this week.
What surprises you about grace? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write down one specific way you want to relate to God more closely or authentically now that you know what you do about grace:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is one thing you’d like to say to God about His amazing grace?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write out a prayer of thanks for God’s grace: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________