How many Christians feel unworthy of God's Grace? Unfortunately this seems to be part of of our human experience. We only get rewarded when we are worthy. Our society seems to be built around that premise.
You work hard, obey the rules and then maybe you will get a raise or move up the ladder. No wonder we find God's Grace so hard to grasp.
There is a wonderful story in the New Testament found in the book of John. It's about Jesus coming across a crippled man who has been sitting by a pool in a town called Bethesda for 38 years waiting to be healed. Jesus asks the man, "Do you want to be made well?" The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while am coming another steps down before me. So Jesus says to this man, "Rise, take up your bed and walk. And immediately the man was made well."
This story can be found in John 5:1-8. But there is an underlying message in this story that we all need to understand. It is the story of what Jesus did not do! Jesus did not ask the crippled man if he had been good, if he was a regular church attender, if he tithed, if he kept all the commandments! As a matter of fact there was no attempt what so ever of Jesus trying to determine the man's worthiness. It never entered the formula. Jesus just asked one simple question of this man, "Do you want to be made well?" That was it. If you read the story you will see that the crippled man didn't even answer the question. He instead gave excuses why he had not been healed. But Jesus healed him anyway.
Now that is what Grace is all about. You and I are not worthy and yet we are saved by grace. The church needs to read and understand this story. We come together in all our brokenness and failures and shortcomings to worship a God who loves us inspite of ourselves! Start living boldly in Jesus' grace!
Hope to see you soon. Love, pastor kent
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