Grace For The Journey

  Did you hear the story about the little boy who was standing up on a pew during the church service?  His parents spent much of the service trying to convince the little boy to sit in his seat, so as not to distract those around them.  Finally the parents threatened the boy with a significant consequence for his disobedience and inappropriate behavior that would be delivered to his bottom-side immediately following the service.  Now, sitting and squirming in his seat, the little boy whispered to his parents, “I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside!”

Did you know there is an obedience that is revolting to our Omniscient God?  It is obedience that is done simply for the sake of obedience.  It is done out of fear of the consequences of not doing something.  It’s done out of guilt and obligation and duty.  Or it is done out of a desire to receive some reward in return.  This is not the kind of obedience Jesus rendered to His Father, and it is not the kind of obedience we are to render either.

Jesus proclaimed in John 8:29, “I always please the Father.”

Because Jesus was perfect, we see perfect obedience as an obedience that is desired – obedience that is delighted in.  Jesus did what He did because He both desired and delighted in pleasing His Father.  It was never enough for Jesus simply to do the right thing.  His obedience was never rooted in fear, guilt or a desire to gain some reward. He did the right thing for the right reasons.  His outward obedience was firmly rooted in an inward desire and delight to do His Father’s will.  It sprang from a heart that was beating with a desire and delight to please His Father in heaven.

The Psalmist declared in Psalm 40:8, “I desire (and delight) to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.” The psalmist comes to the heart of the matter. He offers what God requires – heartfelt obedience

All too often, you and I are like the little boy, sitting down in outward obedience but standing up in internal rebellion.  Our obedience is stained with mixed motives and selfish desires.  And that is why we must continually remind ourselves of the truths of the Gospel.  The Bible says in Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus delighted in His obedience, even His obedience on the cross, and that should make all the difference in the world to us.  Jesus delighted in taking our sin.  He delighted in taking our guilt.  He delighted in taking our punishment.   He delighted in taking God’s wrath! He delighted in taking our death.  Can you truly wrap your mind around all of that?

Viewed in that indescribable light, is there anything too hard for us to do for Jesus? When we keep the truths of the Gospel front and center in our lives, our hearts will beat with desire and delight to do His will!  Remembering not only what Jesus has done for us, but why He did it empowers us to live like Jesus lived:

Obedient to the will of the Father out of a heart

filled with delightful desire.

And when we fall short of the mark, we rest in the truth that we are clothed in His righteousness . . . not only forgiven by the Father, but delighted in too!

This is God’s Word For Today … This is Grace for your Journey …

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”