Just Like Visa, Accepted Anywhere!

You know what's so amazing about grace? What's truly amazing about grace is that it's given before. Before I fix my hair, before I get the right clothes, before I learn the right jargon. Before. Eh, maybe Paul says it a bit better than I can in Romans 5:8, "but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Now you catch my drift? We've been given grace before we even have a chance to clean ourselves up to picture perfection for God. He doesn't give us that chance...and praise God that He doesn't!

I've been reading this book called The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning. It's a wonderful book on God's grace and I recommend it to anyone who has a tough time accepting it. It's not easy to accept God's mercy...not when you really consider what that acceptance implies. It implies that we have come to the end of ourselves, have admitted our ineptitude, and have given up on the ridiculous notion that we could ever save ourselves. One problem with that...PRIDE. Or more namely, SIN. It's hard for me, and I can imagine nearly every Christian, to forsake the idea of earning salvation, working for God's grace. But that doesn't work, God decreed so Himself, "For by works of the law, no human being will be justified in His sight..." Manning quotes a man by the name Paul Tillich and his words have stuck in my head since I read them, "Do not seek for anything, do not perform anything, do not intend anything. Simply accept the fact that you are accepted."

Despite my sin, I am accepted. Despite my eighteen year old raging hormones, I am accepted. Despite my overwhelming capacity of doubt and skepticism, I am accepted. Despite my insane habit of placing God on the back burner, I am accepted. There's nothing I can find in myself, nothing I can do, and nothing I can intend to do to earn God's acceptance. And it's too late anyway. There's nothing you can find in yourself, nothing you can do, and nothing you can intend to do to earn God's acceptance. Besides, it's too late for you too. He's beat us to the punch, He's made the first move. Before we could inevitably screw it all up, God "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him." Feel free to join in with me in a resounding "Praise God!"

Playing the Field

 You remember that phrase, "playing the field"? People used it for individuals who would date multiple people at one time. It's a little old schooly for people around my age, but I've heard it. It's funny though, many of us may have never heard the phrase, but sadly most of us do it. I don't mean we go around falling instantly in love with everyone we meet. I mean that we are always playing the field on God, seeking lovers that we deem more satisfying than Him.

Ever read Hosea? Definitely one of my favs from the Old Testament. It's this story of a guy named Hosea who's a single old prophet dude. Well one day God tells Him to go out and marry a harlot, a professional player of the field, and have field children. Well, as ridiculous as it must have sounded, Hosea obeyed and married the lady of the night. They had children of the night. And during their marriage, Hosea's wife constantly leaves to play the field yet again. But every time as God commands, Hosea goes back and redeems her.

Sounding familiar? It should. We're all ladies and gentlemen of the night. We play the field looking for lovers to satisfy us, when it is truly only God who completely satisfies. Know why? Because as Tobymac put it, we were made to love Him. When we try to love other things more, we're miserable and left desperate from failed attempts at love. Whether we try and find it in money, clothes, accolades, or simply love from this world, we can gain it all but we'll do nothing but lose our souls in the process. We ignore and seek others and God patiently waits for us to love Him first again. Look at the words He says to Hosea in 3:1, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and loves cakes of raisin."

In the same way Hosea continues to love his wife though she's constantly unfaithful to him, God does the same with us. I don't know about this cakes of raisin stuff, but we do exchange the great fulfillment found it God for menial things found here that will never truly satisfy. Our playing of the field is useless and the game is never won. It gets old, it gets tiring. Aren't you tired? Thankfully, God promises rest for the weary, if only we turn our hearts to Him. As Augustine so rightfully said universally for all mankind, "You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You."