Grace For The Journey

  If God posted an ad on one of those career builder/jobs.com web sites, do you know what it would look like?   Do you know the kind of person He would be looking for to do the job He has for them to do?  Well . . .

God has already posted His want ad,

Long before these sites became popular,

And He posted it in His Word.

The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, seeking to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.”

In God’s want ad, we see that He identifies only one qualification for employment in His work:

A heart that is blameless.

In the Old Testament, the concept of blamelessness brought with it two different but not dissimilar ideas:

FIRST – Sacrificial animals without defect.  God says in Leviticus 1:3, “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish.”  Only unblemished animals were worthy of being sacrificed to the Lord.

SECOND – Blameless people who cannot be accused of wrongdoing.  The Bible says in Psalm 15:1-2, “LORD, who shall abide in Your tabernacle?  Who shall dwell in Your holy hill?  He who walks uprightly and speaks the truth in his heart.”

In the New Testament, the concept of blamelessness is rooted in the character of Christ and His followers:

FIRST – Blamelessness is found in Christ Himself.  The Bible says in Hebrews 7:26, “It was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.”  And the Bible says in Hebrews 4:15, “For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

SECOND – Blamelessness should be found in the disciples of Christ.  The Bible says in Ephesians 1:4, “According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”

Those who are disciples of Christ

Are blameless in the sight of God

Because they are clothed in His righteousness.

The blamelessness of Christ has been imputed

To all who have trusted in

His atoning work on their behalf.

If you are a Christian, when God looks at you He sees Jesus, so He sees perfection!  Yet, in everyday experience, disciples of Christ do everything imperfectly, and we still do many things that are blameworthy.  However . . .

While we are already blameless in the sight of God

Because of what Jesus has done on our behalf,

We are being made blameless through

The transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

And, of course, that transformation will not be completed until we pass into glory.

So, for the purposes of today’s blog, a blameless heart is . . .

• A heart that has been washed and cleansed through the blood of Jesus;
• A heart that beats for the things that God’s heart beats for.
• A heart that is surrendered wholly to God.
• A heart that is broken by the things that break God’s heart.

Notice what God’s “classified ad” does not identify as qualifications for employment in His work in this world:

• No age limit.
• No experience necessary.
• No specific education required.
• Any tongue, tribe, or nation.
• Male or female.
• Those with physical limitations welcomed.
• No mandatory retirement age.

God simply wants those who

Have a heart that beats for Him.

In fact, the Scriptures make it clear

That God goes out of His way

To go after those the world would never

Think of hiring for any meaningful position.

The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 26-31, “Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, and not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’”

Wow!  What we learn from this passage is immensely comforting.

When you are hired by God

To do His work in this world,

He gives you everything

You need to get the job done.

God equips those whom He calls;

No other employer in the world can say that.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “[The Lord] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The weaker we are,

The more God demonstrates

His strength through us;

So when we advance, accomplish, and achieve,

We boast only in the One

That brought us the victory – Jesus Christ.

Working for God expands the borders of your life beyond the borders of your life and connects you to the transcendent purpose for which you were created.

Because you were made by Him for Him,

The only place where you will find

Meaning, significance, and purpose

Is when your heart is wholly surrendered

And beating for the things of God.

So . . . what has your heart been beating for lately?  Do you believe you are qualified for the work God has for you to do in this world?  If you are reading this right now and you’re not sure, pray and ask God about it.  It shouldn’t take long for Him to convince you that He can use you right now – right where you are – to do some amazing things for His glory!  You really were created for greatness, and that greatness will only be realized when you are wholeheartedly serving our Great God.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The 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.”