There’s an undeserved grace in the offering for you today. Even though you don’t deserve it, God wants to bless you. That’s what grace is, and there’s an overflowing of grace, but you have to choose to get in it.
Imagine you’re on a hike and there’s a waterfall. You can choose to get in that waterfall or go around it. The same is true with the flow of God’s grace. It’s there, but you have a choice of what to do with it. Will you get in it and let all those blessings you don’t deserve rush over you, or will you avoid it so you never get wet?
GRACE. For all the times you couldn’t earn it, you aren’t good enough for it, you’re totally undeserving, but God offers you his blessing anyway.
Yesterday I had the honor of going to my very first Cowboy Church. Have you heard of it? It’s a gathering of country people who show up to barns and stockyards in their jeans and boots, play guitars and sing old hymnals, then a man who looks like he jumped straight off a horse shares the word of God in the simplest and most powerful way. People bring their dogs to church. Families sit with all of their children with them. There’s a slight scent of cow from the day before. There’s no show, no production, and absolutely zero barriers to coming to Jesus exactly as you are.
One man stepped forward and he said the word GRACE. Then he paused. And he continued. He said:
For the thief hanging on the cross beside Jesus, he was offered GRACE when he didn’t have time to change his life before dying. Grace offered him paradise with Jesus that day.
For the woman at the well who had been married 5 times, she was offered GRACE by Jesus and all her shame was erased.
For the rich corrupt tax collector named Zacchaeus, he was offered GRACE which changed his heart when Jesus came to his house.
For Rahab the prostitute, she was offered GRACE that saved her and her family BEFORE she changed her profession.
For Peter who failed Jesus on the last night and denied knowing Jesus, he was offered GRACE to overcome what he couldn’t undo.
Is there something you can’t undo? There’s GRACE for that.
Is there something you said that you can’t take back? There’s GRACE for that.
Is there a mistake you so wish you could rewind time on and do it different – but you can’t. There’s GRACE for that.
Is there a conversation or a situation you’ve replayed in your mind a thousand times and it has you so twisted inside that you can’t sleep and you can’t find peace? There’s GRACE for that.
Did you get it wrong, say it wrong, do it wrong? There’s GRACE for that.
Grace is that waterfall on the hike. You either get in it or you don’t. Be refreshed by it or avoid it. The choice is yours.
God says in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Can you really believe that? Can you believe that your perfection isn’t needed here. You understanding everything and being in control isn’t needed here. All you need is God’s grace, and his grace actually works best in your weakness. Anywhere you feel you are failing is the perfect place for the power of God’s grace.
If you’ve listened to me for very long, you know I’m really human and I tend to mess up. I mispronounce words, my tongue gets twisted, I ugly cry on occasion, the lawn crew shows up and turns on the leaf blower right beside me, a blaring siren flies by. We’re raw, real and unedited. So, when I mess up, you get to hear it. I record live early each morning, so my eyes aren’t always sharp when I’m staring at the tiny print in my Bible and the numbers are often unclear. The numbers on my scripture reference sometimes get a little twisted.