A friend sent me this… “I’ve never been surprised by God’s judgment, but I’m still stunned by His grace.” (Max Lucado) Wow! Is that a terrific insight or what?!
Lucado goes on to point out that he has never heard/read of a person being rejected by God when they come, sincerely, to Him. Actually, if you remember the parable of the Prodigal Son, that’s a perfect example of how God treats each of us. When we come to Him, He throws a gigantic party (even the angels rejoice) for us. This is incredible love.
And love really is the point. Love underscores His grace that He lavishes upon us. It is never a situation of our earning His love, His grace, His mercy. We can’t, especially on any sustained basis. He simply provides it when we come to Him. And that, my friend, is tremendous news! Talk about Good News.
We are all deserving of judgment and we see countless examples of God’s judgment in scripture. And, in every case, the judgment was deserving. And so are we. The point of deserved judgment is one we conveniently like to forget. However, God provides a way out – and He did then. His way is to provide us with His grace rather than His judgment.
Obviously this also leads to our interrelationships. Do we offer judgment or do we offer grace to others? Judgment is really quite simple. Grace requires more understanding, more love, more forgiveness. Now… what do you want to receive from others? Your deserved judgment or their grace? Give me grace every time.
