This post wraps up chapters 9-13 of The Grace of God by Andy Stanley.
If you would like to catch up, you can see previous posts in the series by going here first:
- People who were nothing like Jesus liked Jesus. Jesus liked people who were nothing like Him. 126
- He (John) watched Jesus apply the perfect blend of grace and truth to each individual He encountered. 127
- Jesus, God in a body, was not uncomfortable surrounded by those who most needed the bridge back to God that only grace could provide. 139
- But Jesus, in his entirely undiplomatic fashion, went straight to the heart of the matter. 151
- Jesus chose to reveal His true identity a the strangest time sot eh most unexpected people. 172
*****
As I read through chapters 9-13, my heart kept running to Jesus. The full embodiment of righteousness. The perfect balance of grace and truth. God in a body. The One who was comfortable going toe to toe with a religious leader like Nicodemus and begged a drink of water from a scandalous women at a well. He even accepted the vilest of criminals into His kingdom with an 11th hour confession of faith.
This is my Jesus.
This is grace.
And who gets it and when is not based on performance, or pedigree, or likability.
It is all about Him.
At times, it doesn’t seem fair. When that works in my favor, I am grateful. It gets a bit messier when the grace receiver is someone clearly deserving of the opposite.
So I find myself a bit unsettled. Somewhere between worship and introspection. I am overwhelmed that Grace would find me and bring me to the table. I wonder , in my living for Jesus, if I have drawn anyone to that same table. Do they see Him in me? Does my life magnify His grace?
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
We have seen His glory of the One and Only,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
This grace journey has only just begun.
“I wonder , in my living for Jesus, if I have drawn anyone to that same table. Do they see Him in me? Does my life magnify His grace?”
Awesome question! Praying that God would make that a YES! in my life!!!
oh I just love this! thankyou for sharing- this is my focus lately! glad I’ve found ya- i’m a new follower-
uh, i have a question off topic- i got to your site via twitter- because your post was linked to your tweet- how do i make that happen for my adventurezinchildrearing ??? sorry to bother you- i am trying hard to learn twitter…
Thanks Kelli! I’m so glad you have found your way to 29lincolnavenue! And I love your bloggy question. I have a couple of ways I do that:
1. I use a WordPress pluggin that sends all new posts to Twitter. (not sure if Blogger does that – but I’ll bet they do.)
2. I have a Facebook Fan page for 29lincolnavenue. When I make a post there, I allow Facebook to send my posts to my Twitter. You can do this through your account settings. You will need to tell Facebook your Twitter name. I like this because I can post it in one place and it goes to both!
Hope this is helpful!
This is my Jesus.
This is grace.
Love this Stacey! Can’t wait to get this book and dive in.
Yes! It IS all about Him!…and I’m so glad I don’t have to perform to come to this table, but rather, I perform because I am at the table…because it is all about Him…this life I live.
I love that Erin – the performing is for Him and His glory, not our acceptance. We work from grace not toward it!
Just found your blog. I’m really enjoying reading thru these posts on Grace. I had a grace one year ago (http://keri–on.blogspot.com/2010/02/grace_23.html) that was a wonderful life experience…well, in the end…
Looking forward to reading more here. Thanks for the great encouragement!
Keri, I just stopped by your place to read your story and oh my, that was a long day! I love that at each turn – you were given grace. And that you were able to see it! I was also challenged by what you said, “If it had been my kids, I would not have been so gracious.” That really spoke to me!
So glad you found your way here and that you were encouraged! Thanks for the link to your post!