Theme: Destructive Grace, how sweet the sound
Objects are sometimes used for purposes other than their original design. Maybe it is just me, but a butter knife becomes a decent screwdriver in a pinch and sometimes can open a door. A baseball bat is likely used more for protection than to hit a ball. And while we might use books to hold a door open or as decor on the shelves of a podcast studio, books were designed to be a wealth of information. Their value is in their words, in accomplishing their purpose to inform, entertain, persuade, inspire, etc.
Why am I here? What is my purpose? So often, we busy ourselves with numerous distractions designed and orchestrated by the “‘ruler of the kingdom of the air,” constantly going through the motions without knowing our true purpose.
Sometimes, we make our way, decide our use, and believe we are the gods of our worlds. But we will never be fully satisfied (nor fully productive!) until we walk in the purpose we were uniquely designed to fulfill.
These are all symptoms of the deadness Paul speaks about in verse 1 of Ephesians, chapter 2. We cannot know our true purpose until we are alive enough to care about it. Finding our purpose is a Catch-22. We can only find any purpose, including ourselves, by knowing its design and designer. How can we know our designer when we are too dead to know we were designed? We are hopelessly lost in this maze.
But for God! God knew that for us to be brought to life, He must drastically intervene. He did not devise this plan after we all died in the garden through Adam. He always had this plan. He would leave eternity and His Kingdom, enter time, and invade the “kingdom of the ruler of the air,” not as God but as a man. He would then submit to men and allow Himself to die at their hands so that he could conquer death through His resurrection and, thus, bring to life all of us with Him by faith through Grace. Wow!
What is this Grace we speak of? We sing, “Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound,” and it is. However, what if we also looked at Grace as a destroyer and sang, “Destructive Grace, how sweet the sound?” Grace is the undeserved love of God. It’s the most potent force in the universe. And when grace comes into your life, it destroys things.
Grace destroys the old you.
Grace destroys the idols that enslave you, breaking the chains you did not even know you had.
Grace destroys old habits and ways that had been part of your life and killed you for so long.
Grace destroys the old operating system.
Thank God for His love and destructive Grace.
Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast”
Prayer:
Lord, how can you love me like you do? I even need your help understanding that love and the mercy and forgiveness that come with it. I am in unbelievable awe that you love me so much to plan and execute my salvation. Why? Lord, I think it best just to accept it in faith, thank you constantly, and wait until I am with you face-to-face to know that love in its fullness. Amen
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