My good friend and suite mate of last semester just came in and was telling me all the things she did over Christmas break. I suppose right now that I am just overcome by the depravity of humanity, and how absurd we can make our lives sometimes. And yet, God's grace still stands. Firm, sufficient and entirely undeserved. While she was telling me, I was praying for wisdom, because I don't agree with what she did at all, and I know that the Lord does not condone it, but I love her, and God offered her grace; so, so will I. Have you ever been in that situation, where you want to still be friends with a person, but wholly disagree with what they've done?
It's hard. I told her flat out that what she did was wrong, and I don't agree with it, but I love her still the same. I think that was right-I tried to be gracious. We talked about how we had read Crazy Love together before break, and about how God has called us to live differently--radically different than the rest of the world. We are to set a standard that's higher, because we know the Most High God.
And so, when we mess up, and know entirely well that we messed up, what do we do with the knowledge that we've disobeyed God? What do we do when our friends have done so? How do we deal with that, and help them through it, yet let them do the confessing and asking for forgiveness? I can't move her lips, but I can walk alongside.
I want so desperately for her to realize that, although she knows what she did was wrong, that she needs to completely turn away from it: you've said you won't do that ever again, now stick to it. You are living elsewhere, but what happens if something like that comes up again? Will you be able to resist temptation when it shoves you on the floor? Listen to the Holy Spirit before it's too late, and before you're convicted; instead of after the fact, or all the while knowing your actions are wrong, but think that grace will make it all okay.
Yeah, grace does makes it okay, that's a fact beyond comprehension. But, if it is so freely given, why on earth abuse it? Jesus only died for us, for grace to be enough, for sins to be forgiven. In light of that simple, enormous fact, there is no reason why we should take lightly the given grace. We should try, with all our might, to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. That verse in Micah entitles us to live radically; different than the whole rest of the world. Not as and of the world, with the memory of sufficient grace, but living in a way that, without a doubt, will acknowledge and absolutely use that grace, but with all that we are, rather, with all that God is through us, live in a way that glorifies the Giver of that all-sufficient grace.
Glorify the Giver; live in redemption, and live in a way that inspires others to be like that Giver.
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"For sin shall not be your master, because you are...under grace"
"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be!"
"Having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification."
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:13-23
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