Today, I'm speaking from one who knows how life is when it's at the bottom of the barrel. Broke, busted, and disgusted, and trying to do things his way to make life better for him. That's what I've been doing for a long, long time. I've been trying to earn something that's a gift, a free gift from God because of His generosity. It's like a man trying to earn the heart of a woman he loves dearly through buying expensive gifts and other things. However, the woman just wants the man to love her for her and not to earn her love through his "works." It's like a daughter-in-law trying to earn the love of her mother-in-law by showing how perfect she can be. However, she's showing herself not to be true and doing all this extra that isn't earned but given. This is how we are with God, my friends. We show up to every church function. Every day, we go out our way to help everybody or to be at everyone's celebration. We're always having to prove ourselves of being this or that. Inside, we hope that God will bless us because of our works. But when the bank account is about empty, when your family's home life is disparaging compared to your family's public life, when your thinking crazy thoughts in your head, those works done ain't worth nothing. We have all of these accolades, achievements, outings, and schedules, and we think that this makes us worthy of God's grace. But in all actuality, this makes God laugh not because He's happy with this in humorous terms. He's laughing at us because we're silly to think that we can earn His grace and favor with our works. If that's the case, we would boast, I did this and made God give me His favor. What time of mess is that? It is what it is, mess? I'm beginning to realize as I learn to trust God, reconstructing my life to become more balanced, and to be real that I still fight with unbelief (I'm just being honest but I have victory in the midst of it), that nothing I say or do earns me His favor. His grace is unmerited favor meaning a gift given freely not earned. It's given to those who are humble and think nothing of themselves. Grace is given to those who others deem as dirty, filthy, and unworthy to become anything productive in their lives. Look at Rahab, a prostitute. Look at the publican who came to the temple of said to God he's nothing but a wrench. Look at David, a scrawny yet handsome field boy tending to the sheep. Look at Joseph, a young man stripped of royalty to become a slave. Look at Abraham, a man who tested God's patience when the going got tough when his wife wasn't getting pregnant. All of these people were recipients of God's grace. They believed God and in various times of their hang-ups, God's grace was still on them to be and do what He predestined for them. The beauty of God's grace is that we take our hands off of God's business; that is to take care of us. He says in His word in the latter part of Matthew 6 that He's more thoughtful of us than the animals. He says how much more will He take care of us. The animals don't worry because they know their Creator is going to take care of them. We who have children and pets, they don't worry about nothing because they know their "source" is going to take care of them. This is how we need to look at God today and stop trying to earn His grace. He isn't concerned about our accolades, our titles, our degrees, or our works. He's concerned about the heart and mind of His people. Every day, He's loading us with benefits (Psalms 68:19) but many of us including myself miss out because we're working ourselves half to death. We're out here trying to appease everybody when we should be lamping (Philly term for resting) in God's arms. We worried and bothered about everything and trying to figure everything out. But when is the last time we took our masks off and came clean with God about our doubts and unbelief. Trying to earn God's grace is a form of unbelief and doubt. But laying it all before Him is the moment we experience His grace. No longer will we have to prove to others, to ourselves, or even to God who we are because He's already validated us. His grace is experiencing the love that surpasses fear, healing in our spirit, soul, and body, financial blessings that we didn't have to work for, time restored that we thought we lost due to circumstances of life, our lives covered by His blood when death is looking to knock on somebody's door, and relationships mended that were once torn apart. As many are saying now, the heavens are open for His people. Let's stop working in the boundaries of unbelief, doubts, and being busybodies. Let's love on God as we study His word, worship Him, and thank Him. When we do that, the grace of God moves in our lives and the unexpected, the miraculous, and the abundant will be released. People of God, it's our time to experience the free gift of God called grace.
Til Next Time, dgwo (and pray for me that I learn to experience His grace every day in every area of my life as I do the same for you)
References:
Psalms
Ephesians 2:7-9
Hebrews 4:1-11
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