More About Grace

The grace of God is so amazing. No matter how much I think about it, I can never understand it. And no matter how much I think I know about it and understand it, I learn new things about His grace all the time. It seems as though there is no end to what He can teach me. And what He teaches me are simple things I never realised. The most profound things are always the simplest things. But I was often blind to them and I think I am still blind to alot of His truths. But He shows me more when I ask Him.

I have been thinking over many things which puzzled me about the grace of God. I'm glad that I'm covered with His righteousness because I know that I haven't any righteousness of my own. Many of my deeds are like filthy rags in His sight. I'm just glad that I'm clothed with Him so that He sees me as righteous in His eyes. He's wiped my slate clean in the past and the present.

But what about the future? It seems then as though it's no use trying to be righteous. I try and try and I know it's not good enough for Him. And then I realise that He's covered me with His righteousness and His grace covers everything I do and that's such a relief. But the future was puzzling. It didn't make sense to try to be righteous anymore. Cos I knew that I would always fall short and I would always need Him to cover me. So why should I even try to be better? It seems as though, if I judge my future by my past, that my life would be one long spiel of failures and grace, failures and grace.

The answer is so simple but it had been escaping me all along.

"Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. If you abide in Me you will bear much fruit, but without Me you can do nothing."

God never looked at the things I do and He never will. He looks at where I am. Am I abiding in Him or am I far away from Him? I can do seemingly righteous things with my heart far from Him.

He was never one to look at the sacrifices anyway. He always looked at the heart. He was never one to look at the actions; He always looked at the character.

"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

David, Abraham, Jacob and Moses were men that God loved. David was called a man after God's own heart. Abraham was called a friend of God. Jacob wrestled with God and won - "I will not let You go unless You bless me." Moses asked to see God's glory and cried out for the presence of God - no substitute or any other blessing would do him. These were people with huge flaws in their characters, people who made huge mistakes. But God loved them so much, because they desired the close personal contact with God above everything else. They were willing to cry, trek, sweat, run, fast; they were never embarrassed or ashamed, they were caught up in the excitement of coming into closer contact with God. They kept short account with God.

And abiding in Him means keeping short account with Him. Daily confession and repentence. Daily doing anything it takes to know Him more and to draw closer to Him. Faith without works is dead. But works are only evidence of faith. And behind everything we do He looks at our hearts. How much we desire to get down to the grit and the sweat of pursuing Him and abiding in Him, how much we can keep running to Him to show us more of Himself.

Beyond our Bible reading, our earnest endeavours to do right, He asks us the questions: Do you really love Me? Are you abiding in Me? Are you willing and humble enough to keep short account with Me?

By Your grace, let my answer everyday be "Yes, Lord." I have my up and down days. But let me keep short account. And let me abide in You.