Decisions of Grace

July 23, 2008

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Many of us realize that grace is the unmerited favor (unearned, undeserved blessings) of God shown towards us. But what are some other things we know about grace? To fall from grace is to relapse into sin, or to lose favor.

Oh, well, that could never be me.

Or could it?

It wasn’t so long ago that I made a few bad choices. I was a Christian, but not as strongly rooted as I would like to think I was. After some very disheartening situations, and struggles, I decided that basically if I can’t beat them, then I might as well join them.

How humbling it is to realize that each of us is only one or two decisions away from being in the middle of our sin, at a place we could have never imagined ourselves being, doing things we never thought possible.

Let’s think on a few examples in the Bible:

King David - his bad choice led to adultery and murder
Jacob - his bad choice had him fleeing his home and his mother
Moses - his bad choice kept him from entering the Promised Land
Judas - his bad choice had him betraying our Lord and Savior, Jesus

Why do we make the choices we do? What would convince us to walk away from the loving kindness that God has for us?

I have asked that question of myself so many times. Why did I choose to do that? What is wrong with me? In her study Living Beyond Yourself, Beth Moore suggests that “Rejection tempts us to invite things into our lives that we might never have welcomed. Rejection can empower us to act in ways that we never dreamed of behaving.”

Looking back at our examples, David felt the rejection of Saul, Jacob felt he wasn’t good enough, living in the shadow of his brother Esau, Moses felt rejected by the people he had been leading for 40 years, that he wasn’t having any impact, and while Judas was one of the twelve walking with Jesus, he wasn’t one of the select few that entered into those secret places with Christ.

In my own life, I have felt the sting of rejection from my mother, and my siblings. While those left a scar on my heart, it wasn’t until the rejection I felt at the hands of my first husband that drove me over the edge. I felt I could never do enough, I could never be that right person, I wasn’t pleasing to his eye, satifying to his needs; basically I felt rejected on any level one could imagine. So, I chose. I chose to walk away from all the promises God had for me, and to try anything to just make my husband love me. I walked into decisions in my life that I never imagined I would have made, actions I never considered possible for myself.

It wasn’t very long until the Spirit inside of me was so grieved that I realized if I didn’t change what was going on in my life, I wasn’t going to make it much longer.

Returning home to my relationship with God was one of the hardest things I have ever done. It actually took me more than a year to step back into a church or to even face God. My shame had left me bitter and feeling unworthy of God’s love and forgiveness.

I tasted grace that day.

David tasted God’s grace, after he acknowledged his sin before Nathan. God’s grace had him dancing for joy.

Jacob tasted grace when he returned home to reunite with his brother. God’s grace led to his blessing and e felt welcomed and at home and peace.

Moses tasted grace as he looked over the Promised Land, and saw the fruits of his labor and calling come to fruition.

Judas, unfortunately bore the pain of his sufferings, and made another choice.

What choice will you make today?

In Psalm 139. David pleads with God to “Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.” (23-24, The Message).

I know that I cannot walk this path alone. Left to my own devises, I will not make the best choices all the time. I need God to search me, and to show me the areas that I need help with. To show me the direction to walk, and to remind me just how close I am to taking a wrong turn and leading me off His path.

So today, take a moment and make the right decision. Show grace towards others in the realization that but for the grace of God, you may be in the same situation that person is experiencing themselves. Receive God’s favor in your life, His hand of loving kindness, mercy, joy, and hope. And choose grace!

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Written by Dawn · Filed Under Bible Based Living

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