You Don't Deserve It!

Does the grace of God begin and end with the sinner's prayer? Is God's grace just sufficient enough to get you into heaven and keep you out of hell? What about the life you live here on Planet Earth? Could it be that the river of God's grace abundantly flows in the life of a follower of Christ every single day of his/her life? Absolutely!

Certainly God's grace is not a license to sin. (I've heard that one a time or two.) But grace is a license. It is a license to blamelessness before the One that matters. It is a legal receipt signed by the blood of Jesus certifying that you have been made righteous. Grace is a legal license to stand at all times, justified before the Great Judge...even as the enemy accuses! God's infinite grace is a legal license to confess every sin we will ever commit and instantly be forgiven. Oh that we would know the amazing grace of God! 

Grace brings freedom, because it is more powerful than sin that binds. Grace is more powerful than judgment. One who truly understands God's grace is one who keeps on walking with Jesus, even when he/she stumbles. Grace is FOR you. Judgment is AGAINST you. Grace makes you justified in God's sight and blameless before Him. 

The most powerful aspect of grace is that we simply do not deserve it. Not only do we not deserve grace, but we cannot attain to it. Here's where it is powerful: God had mercy and extended grace! We don't deserve blamelessness, but we have it! We don't deserve righteousness...but we are! God did it through His Son Jesus. Jesus left His glory as God, the Son. He came down to our planet from heaven, became one of us, took upon Himself our sins, and paid the price we couldn't pay for them. The cross is all about this. Jesus Himself was sinless so through His sacrifice we are sinless! 

In 2 Corinthians 2, Paul speaks of a ploy by God to keep him humble. (Of course, you and I never have that problem. Right?) This "thorn in the flesh" as Paul called it was a tremendous challenge for him. He even sought God on 3 different occasions to remove it from him. Jesus' answer to Paul was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Don't miss what is going on here. It is not about the "thorn in the flesh." It is all about Jesus being powerful in spite of weakness! It is about God being strong in you, even though you are human and struggle. It is about acknowledging our weaknesses and through surrender allowing Him to be strong in us. Through weakness, God's power is made strong. This is grace. In our eyes we don't deserve it. However in God's eyes we do!! This is grace! Even in the midst of struggle, trial, and testing, God will move mightily through you and me. When we come to the end of self, realizing we are helpless, this is when and where God will be strong in us. This is grace. This is the unmerited favor of God. You don't deserve it and neither do I. But we have it! Walk in it! Live it! Share it!

The Chronicles Of A Missionary (India Part 5)

Hyderabad, India

God Always Provides When We Reach Beyond Our Own Abilities

I have experienced some interesting situations during the travel part of my trips to India. As I have stated before, the trip to India is about a 20 hour journey...one way. It consists of several legs, meaning several connections and layovers in various airports.

On my first trip to India I had just boarded the plane and settled in for the 8 and a half hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany. I began to talk to the person sitting next to me in the window seat. His name was Joey. Joey was from India, but had lived in Atlanta for a number of years. His wife and children lived in Atlanta as well. Joey was traveling back to India by himself to attend the wedding of a family member. He was delighted that I was headed to India for my very first time. He seemed interested in the purpose of my journey...to preach the Gospel. We talked a good part of the flight to Germany where we both were making the same connection in Frankfurt to Mumbai, India. We arrived in Frankfurt very early in the morning for about a 4 hour layover. During our layover we drank some good German coffee and waited for our next flight.

On the next flight Joey was in a different section of the plane. By this time I was pretty tired and slept a good bit. We arrived in Mumbai just after midnight (10 and a half hours different from the clock in my body!). When I deplaned in Mumbai and was walking up the jet way, Joey was  waiting for me at the end. Joey was a God-send! This was my very first trip to a very different country. It was a blessing to have him as he helped me through customs and immigration. I had heard so many horror stories about going through customs and immigration. It was a breeze! My flight continued on to my flight destination of Hyderabad about 6 hours later.

God was faithful to provide help for me. When we make the commitment to step out beyond our comfort zone, even into difficult circumstances (for Him), He always provides. We never begin to realize the potential of God's provision until we step out in faith!

A Lesson Learned...By Someone Else

On my second trip to India I boarded the plane in Frankfurt bound for Mumbai. I was seated next to a young man named A.J. A.J.'s family was originally from India, but he had never lived there. He too was on the way to India for a relative's wedding. A.J. had never made the trip before.

A.J. was a young business man and was a nice as could be. He was dressed out! He wore a 3-piece suit and an overcoat. In addition he carried a nice attache case. To tell you the truth, he stuck out like a sore thumb. I learned before my first trip to dress extremely casual. You don't really want to give the impression that you might be carrying a lot of money for several reasons. One I will explain later. I really enjoyed talking with A.J. on the flight from Frankfurt to Mumbai. I was able to share the purpose for my trip as well as the love of Jesus. He seemed very interested in my trip.

We arrived in Mumbai just after midnight. We had to transfer from the International airport to the domestic airport by bus. When you disembark the bus at the terminal there are folks waiting to help you with your baggage for a tip. A large number of folks. They are very persistent about helping. I had learned to say "no" since I traveled lightly and didn't have but one bag. You simply keep walking, pulling your bag saying "no" until you get inside the airport! Well...A.J. got off the bus and decided to get some help. He fished for his wallet somewhere in his overcoat (it was now about 80 degrees), and when he pulled it out money went everywhere. American money! People from everywhere converged on A.J.! He was on the ground trying to retrieve the money he had dropped (much of it paper money). From this point on, no one was interesting in helping me any more. After all, I was dressed in bluejeans, a long-sleeve tee, and sneakers! I quietly walked into the airport...unnoticed! I waited for A.J. to enter the airport. He did finally make it safely with all of his belongings!

On all of my trips I have learned the journey can be just as impacting as the destination. These experiences have taught me much about life itself. Life is much more than goals and destinations. Certainly these are important. But getting there is half the fun as someone once said. I've learned to enjoy the journey as well.