Don’t be alarmed by the headline if you are Concordia grad…our dear friend Grace is well and in good health…at least the last time I talked to her. Speaking of which…this should be investigated by anyone in the know.
Last weekend while our Jr. High group was a the Dare2Share Conference we had the opportunity to take in the experience with a few other groups and stay at Christ Church Lutheran Phoenix (it’s an offbeat name). After a few memorable evenings of games, fellowship, and evangelism (sorry for the Christianese), we had the opportunity to attend the morning worship service.
This is one of the hidden joys of traveling with youth and staying at another church. I always enjoy the opportunity to hear a message shared by a pastor that I don’t see on a daily basis. It’s refreshing to hear someone that I’m not as familiar with share the gospel. As we were sitting in our pew, I looked to both sides to see all but maybe one of my youth sleeping and had to smile as I settled in to focus on the message. The pastor was sharing about leaving the past behind and living in the grace that God has apportioned to us today when he proclaimed a great truth that I too often forget
“Don’t let guilt dash the reality of today’s grace.”
Guilt is not from God, but too often I find myself overcome with it when I reflect upon my life. Not devoting my attention to the person I’m in conversation with, spending an evening with the television or computer instead of my wife, and not taking time to grow personally in the God’s presence are all shortcomings that come to mind. It’s so easy to dwell on my sins rather than seek forgiveness and move on. I’m a chronic sufferer of the “fix it” syndrome. When something isn’t right, I want to overcompensate, make up, and pay back. And quite honestly, I often do these these things to make myself feel better rather than heal the sin that abounds.
This is a dangerous place for Christians to occupy. More importantly than the fact that my self-medicating healing is only momentary, I find myself in a place where I reject the grace that was given to me as Christ poured out his blood on the cross. As Romans 3:23 so simply puts it, we all fall short because of our sin.
As I sat there in the pew contemplating the power of this simple statement uttered by the man in the pulpit I was overflowing with joy in the truth proclaimed. There are countless times that I have allowed guilt to cover the reality of grace. While I should feel contrition for my sins, it is more important that I recognize the grace of God in my life. In spite of all that I have done wrong, I have an awesome reality. I’m married to a woman who compliments me perfectly. I have a calling to be a minister of the gospel to students. I am honored with teaching truth, love, and hope to youth that I love deeply. I have a great life and God’s grace is evident in tremendous ways.
Many years ago, a song began with “the greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out and deny them with their life”. I’m convinced that the root of denying Christ with our life is rooted guilt which kills our awareness of grace and leaves us feeling hopeless and longing for heaven and waiting. I need to remember Jesus didn’t just die so that I could go to heaven. He hasn’t called me home yet, which means that for now he has called me to live everyday rejoicing in his grace and sharing the gospel to all people.
