GRACE TELLS ANOTHER STORY

Have you heard of the group Mercy Me? Well, I've been listening to them a lot lately and I've stumbled upon a couple songs that have hit me. For today's blog, I've decided to write about 'Grace Tells Another Story'.
In my last blog I mentioned the prodigal son and how God's love for us is a lot like that-we choose to walk away from Him to pursue our own way and in our brokenness find that He's still there. It's hard to admit when we've failed to live up to our own expectations let alone God's. So you don't need to imagine what it would feel like to disappoint someone and to swallow your pride and admit your mistakes, your selfishness, your misguided attempts to be better.
So lets break down the song-if you haven't heard it yet check out this link.
It talks about how 'we've been told the heart is too far gone'. How true? Our culture is all about the fast lane, it's all about the 'get yours while the gettings good'-even at the cost of others feelings. In the end though, we're left feeling quite empty at times huh? And there does come a time when we feel as though we're hopeless.
There's another part of the song that is my favorite: 'but Grace tells us another story, where Grace sends Hopelessness away'. Now, if you look up grace in the dictionary, you'll find a lot of definitions, but I'd like to mention a couple that I like and serve our purposes well read the list:
-Mercy; clemency; pardon: an act of grace.
-Favor shown in granting a delay or temporary immunity
Theologically speaking:
-The freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.
-The influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them
Grace is something that is beyond measure and beyond our capacity to understand. Especially in times of need when we feel as though we are unworthy of such consideration or such a gift. You find grace in families. If you're a teenager or can remember when were you a teenager...you can recall there were times when mom and dad had you 'dead to rights'-caught you red handed in a lie, or whatever it may be. You know you deserved whatever the consequences they deemed reasonable, but were shocked to find out you were 'let off the hook'. You punishment didn't fit the crime! This time it wasn't too harsh in your eyes, but too easy.
Which brings me to the next part...sometimes this whole grace thing makes life too easy. It often opens the door to habitually breaking rules, pushing the envelope, and even doing things you know are very wrong. Whether it be drinking, smoking, doing drugs, or even having sex. It's a slippery slope you know, rationalizing your mistakes and minimizing God's grace. Too often we get into this mindset of 'it doesn't matter'...God forgives right? So that means if I can't be perfect, why try to shut out these desires-why not give in? If it gets out of hand, I can always stop and ask for forgiveness.
WRONG! Grace isn't your crutch or excuse to screw up, it's your life line for those times when you screw up without intending to cross a line. A classic example would be to tell a lie to protect a friend that comes back to bite you in the butt once the secret is out and they finally give in and tell the truth...then you have to answer to friends and family for your hand in it. Perhaps it's a poor example, but it's the best I could come up with on the spot.
In closing, I'd just like to say that I think we need to make a change-not just in our routine, but of the heart. Because that's what God is after...our heart. We shouldn't take for granted His love or the love and forgiveness of others. Then we learn nothing other than selfish thoughts and deeds. Our good deeds become hollow and that's not what they should be. So be thinking about how grace has another story to tell...you are never beyond saving grace.