Grace

Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)
7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Today I am contemplating grace. Not just the grace I have received through the blood of Jesus but also the grace I am to extend to others because of His shed blood. 

It is easy to get angry with people who sin, fail, make poor choices and blow it. It is easy to get angry with myself for those same things. When I contemplate the grace given by Jesus, that is not even the best way to put it. The grace lavished on us by Jesus. 

Ephesians 1:8 (ESV) 

8  which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 

Grace lavished on us is underserved. It is also unmerited. Grace is God's mercy bestowed. It is God's forgiveness and pardon. It is wiping the slate clean and giving us a fresh start over and over again. God has done that for me. Why would not I not extend grace to others. Especially those closest to me. 

Recently a man shared some disturbing news with me about someone I love very much. The more I heard the more upset I became initially. Then the gentleman challenged me to deal with this individual in grace. The same kind of grace Jesus extended to me. That was wise advice. I've heeded that counsel. 

I have received grace. I must also extend grace. To my family. To my friends. To those entrusted to my pastoral care. To problematic people. To the lost. 

Grace is a beautiful thing. When the church extends grace a loving environment is created. A loving, caring and merciful attitude permeates the people. It is wonderful. It's what our world could use a lot more of in our dealing with people. I certainly need it. I also need to extend the same grace I received to others whether they deserve it or not. 

True Religion

James 1:27 (ESV)
27  Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

We finished up our help in south Texas today. I don't know how many widows we met. Some of them have called for help for months and no help came until this week. They were grateful. They were not demanding and appreciative of any help we were able to give.

Often our equipment was inadequate for the needs. Many needs. Helping those who fell between the cracks. In many parts of town we saw minimal to no damage at all. In other places we saw massive damage.

At one house today we saw a carport completely blown down as well as a travel trailer demolished. It looked the wind just peeled the roof off the trailer and then blew the entire shell off the trailer base.

One man was on his roof trying to get some tarps down before rain comes back in tonight. His roof is leaking badly. He has a bad back and got stuck up on that roof. He got down but could not stand back to his feet. He was in his late seventies and was stuck up there for two hours with no-one to help him down until we arrived.

I had the honor of praying with him and his wife before we left. We worked hard but felt like we did so little. There is still debris piled up on the side of the roads and the city is no longer picking it up anymore. You could build an entire ministry of just hauling off that debris.

I think about those widows. Some elderly. Physically limited in what they could do. Many of them impoverished and unable to pay for someone to come and help. I cannot imagine how hopeless they must have felt.

It dawned on me after we finished working last night that we do not have to get on vans and buses and travel all the way to South Texas to help widows and people falling through the cracks. There are plenty of people like that back at home.

I challenged the students last night to prayerfully ask God to show them someone they can help back home. I did not limit it to just students. I challenged the adults to do the same thing. I pulled a chair up isolated from the group and sat down to ask God who I could help. It did not even take 15 seconds before I received the answer. I felt a deep impression not only for the widow but also for how I was supposed to serve her.

I am thankful to provide a little relief for people down here especially for the widows. I am ready to get back home. That is where God has planted me and there is plenty of work to do right there too.