Tag Archives: grace

Perfect Love

“My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.”

–Brennan Manning

Matthew 5:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[i] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Do you have an enemy? 

Someone you truly despise?

Okay–maybe not an enemy, but someone you would NEVER consider a friend?

Is it your boss?  Your ex?  Your Dad?  The jackass in the locker room?  The group of girls who won’t let you sit with them at the lunch table?

Get that person in your mind…think of all the things you dislike about them…

Got it?

Now picture Christ, hanging on the Cross, dying for that one person you don’t care for.  There’s no one else around: no guards, not Mary or any of the other followers.  It’s just Jesus and your enemy.  And Jesus is crying as he is dying, asking that person to come join him in Eternity.

Ever thought of it like that?  That Christ loves your enemy just as much as he loves you.  I’m sure you know God adores you, but are you willing to allow him to love those you don’t like?

It’s easy to love our closest loved ones and most-cherished friends, but Jesus told everyone that loving those who love you doesn’t amount to much because it isn’t really a challenge.  But if you can follow Christ in his mercy and genuine goodness toward all people, you are starting to “get it”.

If you love only your friends, then your love is imperfect and incomplete.

“But you don’t understand…!”

While I may not have experienced your specific trauma, I do know pain and anger and hurt and bitterness very well.  Those were the monkeys on my back for years.

Attempting to forgive an affair that hit very close to home several years ago sent me into a tailspin.  Have you read my story regarding the sexual abuse I experienced?  I’ve been there, I do understand how difficult forgiveness and love can be.

What about you? 

What if your enemy is your own self?  Do you hate yourself?  Do you loathe your behavior (past or present)?  Have you ever prayed (or at least wished) you were dead?  Brennan Manning said this, “Real freedom is freedom from the opinions of others. Above all, freedom from your opinions about yourself. ”

What would it take for you to find the freedom to love yourself?  Sounds funny, right?  But true freedom is that you can appreciate where you’ve come from, that you are hopeful about where you’re going, and that you love the place you are currently.  All have sinned…but God’s love never fails.

Let us be challenged to love others in the same way that Christ has loved us.

I’ll leave you with a wonderful story by my favorite author, Brennan Manning, from his book Ragamuffin Gospel:

Perhaps you’ve heard this story: Four years ago in a large city in the far West, rumors spread that a certain Catholic woman was having visions of Jesus. The reports reached the archbishop. He decided to check her out. There is always a fine line between the authentic mystic and the lunatic fringe.

“Is it true, ma’am, that you have visions of Jesus?” asked the cleric.

“Yes,” the woman replied simply.

“Well, the next time you have a vision, I want you to ask Jesus to tell you the sins that I confessed in my last confession.”

The woman was stunned. “Did I hear you right, bishop? You actually want me to ask Jesus to tell me the sins of your past?”

“Exactly. Please call me if anything happens.”

Ten days later the woman notified her spiritual leader of a recent apparition. “Please come,” she said.

Within the hour the archbishop arrived. He trusted eye-to-eye contact. “You just told me on the telephone that you actually had a vision of Jesus. Did you do what I asked?”

“Yes, bishop, I asked Jesus to tell me the sins you confessed in your last confession.”

The bishop leaned forward with anticipation. His eyes narrowed.

“What did Jesus say?”

She took his hand and gazed deep into his eyes. “Bishop,” she said, “these are his exact words: I CAN’T REMEMBER.’”

Thanks,

Steve

Kids are Disgusting

I have an 18-month-old little boy.  BT is full of life, curiosity, love, and stubbornness.  He’s my joy, my challenge, my daily workout, and my constant reminder that God’s love is never-ending.

Due to our wacko work schedules, I am able to be with him nearly every weekday morning until around noon.  I love my Mr. Mom time with him, but it does mean that I get to experience the gross side, which many Dads may not ever see.

I was changing his diaper this morning.

Yes.  A poop diaper.

He had eaten two waffles and most of his Momma’s oatmeal, which had explosive results.

So there I was, already stressed out, before I even took his diaper off.  Why?  Because I’m a weak little man?  No.  Stressed because this child INSISTS on shoving his hands into his poop.  It drives me crazy.  Seriously…it’s so gross!  We went thru the regular ritual of me taking off his diaper with one hand, while holding his hands back with the other, but he broke away (like he always does), and in .5 seconds, he had brown fingers.  What’s worse?  A second after that, he had a brown face.  Frustrated doesn’t even cover it.  I have warned him and clearly shouted “NO!” a thousand times….argh!

Here’s the deal: Mr. Poopface doesn’t only like to play in his butt gravy, but he also shoves his finger up his snotty little nose.  His Momma says they should make a patent on his snot, because it is so sticky they could likely repair military jets with it.

Poop and snot…and then there’s drool.  Why are kids so nasty?!  He is still waiting on one final bottom tooth to come in, which makes him drool like the dog from “The Sandlot”.  Remember that dog?  Gag me with a spoon.

What’s my point?

It’s this: BT is my little boy, my joy…and even though kids really are disgusting, he’s mine.  He’s sometimes filthy, sticky, and smelly, but he’s all mine.  When I look into his eyes, I see myself.  He’s not a carbon copy, but he is obviously mine.  BT has many of my characteristics, and he is fully dependent on me to provide for his every need.  When he finally slows down for the day and comes walking up to me with both arms up, saying, “Da-ty”, all I want to do is scoop him up and snuggle with him until we fall asleep.  I love him: snot and all.

And yes, our Father feels the same way about us.  Sometimes our behavior stinks, our attitude is disgusting, and the grace we show to others is a “sticky situation”, but our Abba still looks at us, waiting for the moment when we turn to him and ask to be held.

Grace is messy,

Steve

What will you do with messy grace?

You have read our thoughts for the past 2 1/2 years.

You have read some of the Scriptures that grip us.

Hopefully, you have been inspired, encouraged, and challenged.

But now what?

Where will you take Messy Grace?

What person will you treat differently as a result of this concept?

Will your thoughts be different?  Your behavior?  Your speech?

How has the belief that “Grace is Messy” impacted your life and what will you do with it?

Email iamsteveaustin@me.com with your thoughts.

Thanks for joining us on this journey,

Steve

 

When did God’s love change?

A couple of my radio friends posed the question: How do you know you’re really saved?

The responses that day were interesting, frustrating, and heart-breaking to me.

The question was asked, “Is it really as simple as some think?”

So here are my thoughts:

  • While we cannot fathom the willingness of someone to be murdered for the benefit of those who may choose NOT to follow his ways, Jesus did. He willingly laid down his life, was ripped apart and nailed to a Cross, not for anything He had done, but for the sins that Mankind have committed and will continue to do. He sacrificed His perfection for our own imperfections.
  • I grew up in a denomination where you weren’t saved if you weren’t baptized, and you weren’t fully saved unless you could speak in tongues. It was one of those denominations where you could lose your salvation for not covering your nose when you sneeze…do you know that kind of church?
  • Now I’m a part of a faith family where it is all about the Cross, all about Jesus, and Almighty God who loves us with an indescribable and unfathomable, never-ending love.
  • I have a question for you: Why does God’s love seem to differ from non-Christians to Christians? Why, when we are “witnessing” to a “lost” person, do we tell them that it is all about Jesus and what He did on the Cross and that all they must do is say they’re sorry and ask for His forgiveness and then He’ll handle the rest…….but once we are “saved”, things change? For ourselves (as Believers) and others who claim Christianity, we add all these rules about how “good” you must be and the things you must do to enter Heaven. I DON’T GET IT. If God is all-loving and forgiving to a dirty, rotten sinner, how does His love and forgiveness somehow change to include all sorts of terms and conditions once we have prayed the “sinner’s prayer”?
  • I think of my relationship with my Mother: we are blood. She brought me into this world (and she says she can take me out…but that’s another story!)…she gave me life, and I inherited her DNA. Could I somehow go to a lab or hospital and ask for a complete blood transfusion to overhaul my system and wipeout my old blood? You know the answer to that one is a big fat NO. And it’s the same with God, once the blood of Jesus (His eternal sacrifice) was applied to my life, I cannot go and change that. I cannot be un-born by my mother and I cannot be un-forgiven by Jesus (who is the embodiment of love).
  • If you’re one of those folks who thinks that you can “lose” your salvation, then my opinion is that your view of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross is skewed and you apparently think that what He did was pretty weak. If there is something you can DO to nullify the Crucifixion of Christ, you are mighty powerful, and it seems that Jesus is not. If there is some act you can commit that would make His gift of eternal life void, that would make God’s word a big lie when it says, “ALL who call on the name of Jesus will be saved”. Right?

I really would love to read your thoughts or questions on the topic. Call it “Once Saved, Always Saved” if you must….but I just want to know if you think that you are capable of nullifying God’s love and forgiveness.

Thanks,

Steve

Reconciling the Struggle and the Savior

What’s your #1 struggle?

For some it is gossip, for others it is anger, there are people who deal with lying, and others who cannot get a grip on their lust for money or sexual gratification.

I have my #1 in mind, and no, I’m not going to tell you what it is.

Picture your #1 struggle.

Is it one you’ve just recently started dealing with, or something you’ve dealt with for over a decade?

Now, picture the ways you reconcile your struggle and your Savior:

Do you live in a constant state of surrender to God?

Or…

Are you the type person who constantly chastises and berates your own self, believing you will never overcome your natural leaning toward sin?

I have struggled with my #1 (internally) for a very long time. There are times that I am confident and proud, thinking I have overcome my issue…and there are times when I feel defeated and deflated, worthless, and hopeless, as if I will never succeed at crushing the little devil on my left shoulder.

prisoner

Plenty of times, my struggle feels like a prison inside myself.

Genesis 4:7 says, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

I have heard this verse all my life, and due to my faulty interpretation of it, have feared that crouching evil, but not in a healthy way…I have been scared of the Devil. I looked this verse up in several commentaries and other online resources, and the whole point of this verse is not about YOU mastering SIN, as in being perfect, but that you APOLOGIZE for your mistake(s) and move on, not staying stagnant and lingering in that separation from God.

The other point here is that our natural (human) desires can easily be perverted and lead to further (deeper) sin. Think of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11): David’s first experience with her was simply a glance at a beautiful woman. He didn’t step out onto his balcony, hoping for a free “peep show”. He didn’t go to the roof, PLANNING an affair. He was simply on his balcony looking over the city and…OOPS!…there’s a beautiful, naked woman, taking her bath…talk about sexy! I don’t intend to be offensive, but most of us guys would have to honestly admit that a woman in the bath (or shower) is pretty hot. A man’s DESIRE for a beautiful woman is natural; it is the perversion of that desire that leads us down a slippery slope. If I put myself in David’s shoes, I would have more than likely stayed and “lingered” in the moment…no, I definitely would have. David’s sin was not in the initial glance, but in acting on his natural temptation.

The same is true in this story from Genesis. Cain was angry, and when his anger became misdirected, he was led down a path toward a deeper and more serious sin.

But here’s the good news:

From Max Lucado’s book “Grace”:

…We are Barabbas. Like him, we deserve to die. Four prison walls, thickened with fear, hurt, and hate, surround us. We are incarcerated by our past, our low-road choices, and our high-minded pride. We have been found guilty.

We sit on the floor of the dusty cell, awaiting the final moment. Our executioner’s footsteps echo against stone walls. Head between knees, we don’t look up as he opens the door; we don’t lift our eyes as he begins to speak. We know what he is going to say. “Time to pay for your sins.” But we hear something else.

“You’re free to go. They took Jesus instead of you.”

…God didn’t overlook your sins, lest he endorse them. He didn’t punish you, lest he destroy you. He instead found a way to punish the sin and preserve the sinner. Jesus took your punishment, and God gave you credit for Jesus’ perfection.

I’m sure I will be reconciling my struggle and my Savior for the rest of my life; but, I think I am starting to see just a tiny glimpse of how powerful Christ’s sacrifice was, and how MUCH he loves me. And you.

What do you think? Is it about you, mastering your sins? Or is it about you, recognizing Christ’s sacrifice, His lordship, and surrendering control to him, realizing that we can do NOTHING without him?

ATTIC,

Steve