Thoughts on Persistence

Thoughts on Persistence
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Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Agressive Grace


Aggressive Grace
  
She was clearly in the wrong, for they caught her with a man in such comprising ways.  So, they dragged her from his arms into the synagogue to appear before ‘the master teacher’.  They wanted justice and they wanted entrapment.  Justice to condemn her and entrapment to catch him in a wrong response, a wrong word at the wrong time.

He was there alright.  He was teaching as they suspected.  Nevertheless, they barged right in, pushed her down to the ground, naked, shamed, hair a mess, body and soul a bigger mess. 

The accusations began: “Teacher, we have caught this woman in the act of committing adultery.  The law of Moses commands that she be stoned.  What do you say?”

The hall fell silent.  All that could be heard was heavy breathing of the attackers, and the quiet whimpering’s of the lady.

The mob really wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.  They didn’t really care about the lady.  She was just an excuse to trap him, the teacher. 

What he did next astounded the mob.  It astounded the woman.  It was unheard of.  He simply stooped down and began writing in the dust and dirt on the floor.  Nothing fancy.  Not even doodling.  Just nonsensical writing. 

After a moment, they persisted.  They stated their accusations again, louder, stronger.  They mumbled, and rumbled, they threatened, they were angry.  How dare he ignore them.  They had a complaint.  They had a suspect.  Was he deaf?  Did he hear them?

He stood up.  He looked the mob in their faces, looking from one to the other.  He saw their sweat, he heard their heavy breathing, and he saw the rocks they carried in their hands or in pouches hanging from their waists.

And he spoke: “Okay.  I hear what you say, but first, let anyone who has never sinned throw the first stone.” 

And he stooped once again and continued to make marks in the dust. 

Within seconds, had we been there, we would have heard a thud, and then another, and another.  It was the sound of rocks being dropped.  They weren’t being thrown at her.  They were being dropped.  And then the shuffle of feet can be heard as the mob disperses.  One by one they all left the scene, leaving only the Teacher and the woman.

He stands again, and after looking around, he asks her, “Where are those who were accusing you?  Did not even one of them condemn you?”


“No, my Lord,” she said.

And Jesus, The Christ, said, “Neither do I condemn you.  Go, and sin no more.”


What a marvelous demonstration of aggressive grace.  He had a victim.  He heard the accusations of those who were witnesses.  And He showed aggressive grace. 

Let’s break those words down:
Aggressive:
  Hostile
  Insistent
  Assertive
  Hard-hitting
  Uncompromising

Grace:
  Kindliness
  Favor
  Mercifulness
  Clemency
  Lenience
  Reprieve

I have been a recipient of this aggressive grace in my life.  And I know it is offered to you as well. 

May this aggressive grace of Jesus flood your heart and mind now.



Hope Encouragement Inspiration

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Approaching God


 Approaching God

If you are one who fears approaching God, then let me offer you a few words of hope and courage.

The God of my understanding wants us to
draw near.  He welcomes our approaches and requests. 

He is the inviting God who says often to “come, draw near, I will give you rest.”

I understand the reticence in coming to God.  We’ve perhaps put Him on such a high pedestal we wonder if we can ever climb up to where He is.  Or we think we have committed some unthinkable, unforgiveable act and God could never tolerate being near us.

My friend, God wants you.  He welcomes you into His embrace. 

Ann Lamott tells us this in Help, Thanks Wow, and I’m paraphrasing:
“Sometimes Help is the most profound thing we can say when approaching God.”

And in another spot, she says: “Prayer means that in some unique way, we believe we’re invited into a relationship with someone who hears us when we speak in silence.”

Yes, even if we don’t utter a sound, yet in our mind we reach out to God in sincerity, He in some mystical, spiritually connected way hears what we cannot say, and He is near.

Approaching God doesn’t mean you have it all together.  It means we need help getting it together and we’ve come to the only being capable of helping us do just that.

Come to the approachable God.  His arms are wide open, for you.


Hope Encouragement Inspiration

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Try Again


Try Again

You’re probably a better person than me.  You’ve probably never stumbled, fallen, faltered, failed, sinned, broken a vow or any one of a hundred other lapses.

But just in case you have, I have some great news for both of us.  God invites us to try again.  How great is that?

Try AGAIN!


Look at this.
I John 1:9 tells us …
“If we confess 
our sins,
He who is faithful and just
will forgive us our sins
and cleanse us
from all unrighteousness.”

In a shorter word, He says TRY AGAIN.

Romans 10:13 reminds us ...
“Everyone who calls upon
the name of the Lord
will be saved.”


It appears to me that this invitation occurs after we’ve done whatever it is we have done.

We call and He answers with salvation, forgiveness and a chance to try again.

This is an amazing glimpse of a loving God we see here, not the ogre God we’ve heard about so many times before.

As my favorite writer says, “God loves us [already] as we are, not as we should be.” (Brennan Manning)

It occurs to me that God knows our proclivities.  Remember the “All we like sheep have gone astray” verse? (Isaiah 53:6) The end of this verse is the critical piece: “… and the Lord has laid on Him (Jesus Christ) the iniquity of us all.”

The invitation from God remains; Try Again.

Will we indeed?


Hope Encouragement Inspiration