Grace and Priorities

 

Yesterday I nearly did something for the first time — make a quilt in one day. But my new machine ran out of bobbin thread, and because it has updated technology, rewinding the bobbin required reading the manual, which is one of the most complex documents ever… so I made supper and watched a movie instead.

I’d slept in yesterday too, so had about one-hour less day than usual and then did it again this morning. Sometimes such things make me want a do-over. In golf, they call this a mulligan. The Spirit nudged me to read Callaway’s devotional, and it was about mulligans! He illustrated with a story I’d not heard before…

A man named John Newton was first mate on an English slave ship in a world of violence, rape, and oppression. He rejected God and mocked the faith of any believing crewman. At one point, his own wicked behavior landed him in chains, where he found himself at the mercy of the very slaves he was selling. They could have beaten him or cursed him. Instead, they took pity on him. Did this soften his heart?

Perhaps. While sailing back to England, a terrible storm took the life of one of the sailors, and the question began to haunt Newton: If you die tonight, where will you spend eternity? Remembering those slaves and the words “Christ died for sinners,” Newton fell to his knees and begged forgiveness.

He later wrote, “I see no reason why the Lord singled me out for mercy unless it was to show, by one astonishing instance, that with Him nothing is impossible.”

Today, this man’s hymns are sung around the world, and at the top of the hit list is his most famous: “Amazing Grace.”

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see…

His epitaph reads, “John Newton…once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, preserved, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy.”

My desire for a do-over for a couple days that needed less sleep and more action is nothing compared to the mercy and grace of God who transforms the life of a sinner. Being forgiven is one thing; being given new life as well is incredible.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)

PRAY: With that thought from You, Lord, I head into this day with a greater sense of purpose. Without You, what would I be doing? Loafing? Wasting time watching something senseless on TV? Who knows? But with You, I know what to do next, and after I worship in song and pray in faith, I know that You will lead me into whatever else You have in mind for my day. Thank You for amazing grace that enables me to make better decisions than the priorities I would pick for myself — and then wonder about my own sanity and judgment. Your choices are always wise and give me peace and a sense of purpose. Bless Your holy Name.
 

Multitudes will get another chance . . .

This week three of us were praying. One woman prayed in her native tongue, a language of the Middle East. She understood our English but could not speak it well. We told her to pray as she wished and only grasped a few words she said, but we understood her heart and her passion for Jesus.

Later, we read part of this section from Revelation rejoicing that in heaven all nations and languages would be represented. However, I didn’t realize until this morning that we took those verses out of context, at least in one respect. It was not referring to Christians in our time . . .

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 7:9–17)

This vast multitude is not made up of believers from this era but a numberless crowd that will be saved during the time I described yesterday; a time called the “great tribulation” when one quarter of the world’s population will die. During this awful period when the wrath of God is released on the earth, not everyone will run and hide. Some of them will turn to Christ and He will save them.

In these verses, salvation is through faith in Christ. As the world winds down, He will shelter them, feed and care for them, and give them protection and comfort. They may die physically for their faith yet not experience the destruction and separation from God that will happen to those who refuse His grace.

I felt sad most of yesterday thinking about the fate of the world. This passage is an encouragement. Not everyone will perish. It says a “great multitude that no one could number” will be saved for eternity. It calls Jesus the Lamb four times. Again, the Lamb who was slain is doing what He alone can do — redeeming people from the wrath that their sin deserves and taking care of them as a shepherd does his sheep.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, thank You for these words, this revelation of You doing Your saving work even amid the same passages as Your wrath against sin is described. Again, mercy triumphs over judgment.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- seeing God’s mercy even as He shows me His wrath against sin.

- feeling relief that even during all that will happen, multitudes will be saved.

- knowing that God’s grace is greater than human sin.

- Christmas baking includes old favorites like peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies.

- a down-filled coat that is warm even on a frosty day like today.

Obedience and disobedience

Jonah 1:1–4:11, Acts 13:1–12, Job 22:1–13

In the debate concerning the sovereignty of God and the will of man, some say God never forces anyone to do what He wants them to do. However, at the very least the story of Jonah shows how God can change the “I wants” of those who resist Him.

God said to Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went the opposite direction from Nineveh in his attempt to run from God. (Jonah 1:1–3)

Jonah found a ship and after he boarded and it set out, “The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.” (Jonah 1:4)

At this, the sailors questioned everyone and Jonah admitted what he was doing and told them to throw him overboard. They tried to avoid such a drastic measure, but eventually picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea. The sea ceased from its raging. “Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.” (Jonah 1:15–16)

As for Jonah, “The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17) Like most people in dire situations, “Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish.” (Jonah 2:1) He didn’t voice any repentance, but God heard his prayer, spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land. (Jonah 2:10)

Then the Lord spoke to Jonah the second time, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” This time Jonah went to Nineveh, just as God commanded the first time. (Jonah 3:1–3) He obediently gave them God’s message and the people of that wicked city repented and were saved from God’s wrath.

Jonah does not earn any medals. He was pushed to obedience lest a worse thing happen. He realized that God controls the weather and the actions of fish. He also controls vegetation and bugs. He “appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered.” (Jonah 4:6–7)

This incident reveals that even though Jonah finally obeyed, his heart wasn’t in it. He continued to put his own way and his own comfort at the top of his priority list, with the salvation of lost souls somewhere farther down. I can relate to Jonah.

Job’s ‘friend’ Eliphaz is also a frustrated man. He thinks Job brought his troubles on himself by being disobedient, but will not admit it. He says to Job, “Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you and enters into judgment with you? Is not your evil abundant? There is no end to your iniquities.” (Job 22:2–5)

In this, it’s easy to see the error in his words (as God later affirmed). Eliphaz ignores Job’s life pattern. God even said Job was a righteous man, but this ‘friend’ insists otherwise. Obedience does not always look like it to others, but God knows our hearts.

I can relate to Job also. I’ve had Christian friends question my obedience and accuse me of doing my own thing when I was certain that God had commanded me to act. Part of that certainty was being aware that in my flesh, I didn’t want to do what He said. If I was doing my own thing, the Spirit of God would be opposing my actions.

In the NT, God told his people, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2) They obeyed. On their travels they met a magician who tried to thwart their efforts. But Saul (Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.”

Paul obeyed and “immediately mist and darkness fell upon (the magician), and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand.” (Acts 13:6–12) In this case, disobedience didn’t bring a second chance like Jonah got, but instead brought disaster.

Enough said. God is able to ensure His will is done. I need to cooperate!

Beyond the suffering

No matter who stands on that podium, I enjoy seeing Olympic athletes accept their medals and that bouquet of red roses after they have done their best and won the prize.

I wonder if any of them ever say “no pain, no gain,” or do they focus on other ways to motivate themselves? Maybe medal hopes, or surpassing their last performance, or representing their country with pride keeps them going.

Some of those things motivate me as a Christian too. The Bible promises rewards for those who “run the race” with obedient faithfulness. While I’m not sure what the reward will be, I know that it will have far more value than a gold medal and the accolades of the world. As well, hearing Christ say “Well done” is huge reward in itself.

I also want to do better. With Christ, every day is a fresh start. When I keep short accounts with Him by confessing my sin and experiencing His forgiveness and cleansing, I have a very real opportunity to do better next time so I reach toward that goal.

The Bible also says that I am an ambassador for Christ. My real home is heaven and this one is a temporary residence. However, like any ambassador, I am to represent my homeland with grace and integrity. That motivates me too.

Yesterday I read verses in Romans 8 about my inheritance. It includes the above, but also suffering like Christ suffered. Life here may be a rose garden, but that garden also has thorns, some of which cannot be avoided. In fact, God uses the thorns to make my life more like that of His Son. Those verses from yesterday continue with that idea. Romans 8:16-18 say:

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Some day all that God is doing in me through the struggles and difficulties in this race called life will be made known. I’ve no idea the full impact of what He is doing, but am trusting Him. The Rose of Sharon (as He is alluded to in the Old Testament) will bring me into His likeness. Most of the time that seems so impossible, yet He promises that one day all thorns will be gone and everything about me will be like a rose, like Him. For that I press on.