Action

Action: https://youtu.be/95IoXMOr4ZA

What is grace?

So I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be graceful.  When I think of being graceful, I tend to think of something like a ballerina performance.  More specifically, I think of my 5-year-old daughter dancing like a ballerina in the living room while I’m playing music from our stereo or my guitar.  She’ll start dancing, twirling, plie’ing, jete’ing, and at the end, a curtsy.  All I can do is smile, clap, and tell her how wonderful it was.  Then, she shoots me a huge smile and comes running up to me to dig her face in my lap as her bashfulness starts to come out.

I think that we can all agree that Jesus loves us and He also gave Himself up for us.  During His 3 years of ministry Jesus didn’t just show us what grace looked like, He WAS grace.

Every miracle

Every conversation

Every sermon

He was showing what grace looks like.  Even when He went into the Temple and became angered towards the selling of things, He showed them grace.  You have to remember, this is the guy that caused the creation of the world by His efforts alone.  The authority and power that He has is overwhelming to our minds and hearts.  With just a few words, He could have ended what was happening in the Temple.

But He didn’t.

He chose to use those moments to teach us.  He chose to show them AND us grace.

To me, Jesus wasn’t just showing us what grace looked like.  He IS grace.   He is the definition of what grace is.  Once we acknowledge and accept Him (faith), He comes into our lives, literally.  That is when we become covered in His love and grace.  When He comes into our lives we are saved.

This is the grace of God.

If Jesus is grace, then Ephesians 5:1-2 should bring a whole different meaning to how we approach people.  Here’s what it says:

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Paul is telling us to imitate God in the way our children imitate our actions.  In verse 2, Paul shows us what that looks like. If Jesus is grace and Jesus is also God and we also have Ephesians 5:1-2 telling us to be imitators of God, then we should look like grace, right?

I don’t mean that we should drop everything, find a robe, grow out a beard, and walk around the world in sandals (if God is calling you to that, more power to you), what I’m saying is, that our lives should resemble Jesus.

1 John 4:12 says, “No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

With that said, grace should be pouring out of our lives and people should be able to see grace through us.  For some people, the grace they see in us is the only way they will ever see God.  To them, we are Jesus.  1 John 4:17 shares this idea, “In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.”

WE

ARE

LIKE

HIM.

When we start to look like Jesus we will naturally start caring for people the way He did.  Grace doesn’t give up on people.  Grace is there for people when they don’t deserve it.  Grace forgives over and over and over and over.

This world that we live in doesn’t really understand grace and that’s because grace doesn’t follow the typical rules of society.  That’s why Jesus didn’t “fit in” with the world.  That’s why the story of Jesus looks messy at times.

Grace is messy.  Grace is simple, but we make it messy.

If you’re a believer, God is calling you to be like grace to the world.  How that looks is different for every person, but one thing you can count on is that if you show grace to this world, your children will see that and imitate that.

After all, isn’t that the job of a parent?

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” –Proverbs 22:6

So may you be the grace of God to those who desperately need it.

Including our children.

Ever feel like people judge you without really knowing you?  Ever feel like you have something amazing in you and you just don't get the chance to show it?  I know that feeling all to well.

Here's a little video that hopefully is an inspiration to you.  I know that it was to me.

May you remember that you were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).  You were created with awe, wonder, love, and in the likeness of the ultimate definition of creativity and mystery.

You are unique and loved.

Don't be afraid to show it.

Dark horses

So I've been listening to this song by switchfoot called dark horses and it's been making me think. Mostly about my faith and about the burden that God has put on my heart for the next generation of Christians. 

I still haven't been able to put all of my thoughts together yet on the subject

BUT

the song is definitely worth listening too and figuring out.

Here's a clue.
It's more than just about horses that are dark.

Thoughts?

People helping people

So I came across this soap today.  My wife has a job with whole foods and a company came in to give samples away of their product. They are a bath and body company. The reason why they caught my attention is because they hire homeless folks to make and package their products. Inside there products there is a note from one of the employees telling their story and how they are making a change. The company provides classes and seminars on different subjects that will help the individual find a job and clean themselves up. Totally worth purchasing a bar of soap to help a fellow human being. Check out there website to find out more about them and how they help people. You can also look at there product.

http://justbbjust.com

Back in action

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.  Blogger has won the battle. Let's get Rollin!

an end to blogger

not using this one anymore. tryin out wordpress. You can find me at

www.adamwithane.wordpress.com