1 Timothy 1:12-14
I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry. The only credentials I brought to it were invective and witch hunts and arrogance. But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing—didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
This morning, I went to a garage sale… hoping to find some bargains for my little niece and nephews. Sure enough, I spotted a big box of VHS tapes for children, alongside an equally large box of DVD children’s movies. The box of VHS tapes said 50¢ each… DVDs were $2.00 per movie. I checked with my niece to see which ones her children did/did not have, and I selected 10 VHS tapes and 5 DVDs. I bought one other item for $1 and continued shopping.
When I paid for my items, the clerk said, “That will be $21.” I mentally “did the math” again and looked in my sack, and then I said to the lady conducting the sale… “I think there has been a mistake. I bought 10 of the VHS tapes and 5 DVDs, so how does that come to $21?” The lady explained that VHS tapes were $1 each, and DVDs were $2. I said, “Oh… the sign on the box said that VHS tapes were only 50¢ each.” Her response was, “Well, that’s not what it’s supposed to say… VHS tapes are $1 each.” I was in a hurry and didn’t want to cause a further scene… after all, my children are worth an extra $5 and will enjoy the movies immensely. But I felt a little disappointed that this was her response.
I barely got to my car and turned the key when I saw the woman energetically waving for me to come back. I turned off the motor, got out of my car, and she said, “Come back! We’re going to refund you $5. That’s only fair.” And she handed me a $5 bill. I was relieved that she did the right thing… not so much for myself as for her. And later as I read this scripture passage, I thought… this is how things go with God much of the time.
We are the “seller” who overcharged and did not apologize for it… at least initially. And God is not pleased with us for these actions… but He continues to love us and offer us grace. I was not prepared to say, “I’ll never shop at this woman’s garage sale again because she overcharged me.” For one thing, it WAS a GARAGE SALE, after all! But more than this, I was ready to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe those were not her tapes… it looked like a multi-family event. Maybe she really needed that extra $5. This overcharge wasn’t going to signal the end of the world. And a lot of the things we do that are invective (abusive), arrogant, or less than upright won’t be of major significance in the scheme of things. Still, they are not the behaviors of true disciples. They displease God greatly… yet He loves us and meets our needs anyway.
I don’t know about you, but I am a work in progress… and this is the key! I make mistakes… I falter… but I keep working on moving forward. And God notices. He doesn’t give me a free pass… He doesn’t excuse me when I disappoint Him… but He loves me in spite of my shortcomings and failures. I don’t have to beat myself up… I don’t have to wallow in self-loathing or live in turmoil. I can have peace and contentment because each and every day, I am striving to do better… to be more like Jesus Christ…to mess up less and make more forward progress!
I may be the person who overcharges someone at a garage sale tomorrow. Sadly, I may snap at someone and/or say something I regret. My decisions may not be 100% accurate… and neither may those of my friends and acquaintances. But with God’s help, I will keep trying to do better… and God will extend His grace to me as a result. In return, He expects me to offer this grace and peace to others along the way. And He will do the same for you! Do you know Who has your back these days? Do you know Who you are dealing with? Is your goal to be adequate to do Jesus’ work… and to operate in His peace and grace each and every day? Isn’t it time you made this a priority?
©2013 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label Gods grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gods grace. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 13, 2013
1 Thessalonians 5:15
And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
My cousin recommended a book to me that was written by Christian speaker and author Lysa Terkeurst, titled Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions. Terkeurst begins the book by describing an incident in which she stepped out of her shower to discover that there were no clean towels. She knew her daughters liked the thick thirsty towels she and her husband kept in their master bath, and she immediately assumed that the girls had used their shower and helped themselves to the towels. So she went on a rampage… the girls were told to never, never, ever use her bathroom shower – or her towels – again! She later learned that her son was responsible for the missing towels, and she lay in bed that night rehashing her earlier outburst – and feeling guilty and ashamed.
Terkeurst explains explosive outbursts (or snapping at each other) as something we often regret… something that feels good in the moment - but terrible afterward. We then operate in shame – for ourselves or others… or we stuff our feelings and build walls around them. Sometimes those “walls” become more like fortresses! Some of us are “stuffers” who push down our emotions and reactions initially… then deal with the ramifications later (often rather poorly)! The author shares about an airline employee who snapped at her over a piece of lost luggage. Terkeurst did not raise her voice or “snap” at the employee per se, but she got her point across with a rather sharp comment that she later regretted. I’ve done this myself… haven’t you?
So what do we do about this? The author maintains that our regret signals awareness that this is not Godly behavior and can open the door for us to do better as we move forward. We are not necessarily bad people because of our outbursts… but this type of conduct is not what God desires for us. God does not want His disciples to go through life with their feelings on their sleeves… or “letting it all hang out!” But we are all human – and imperfect… so He stands ready to offer us with grace when we fall short.
Is this a license to snap at others and tell them how you really feel… to let your displeasure and/or disapproval be readily known whenever a situation arises? Absolutely not! But God wants us to realize that He loves us even when we are unlovely or misbehave. And that is the point… we are to extend this same grace to others… to look for their best and always do what we can to bring this out in them. We find peace when we operate in grace… when we strive to be more like our Heavenly Father.
I am right there with this author… when I say something unkind or offer a quick retort, I tend to beat myself up and feel terrible – even if I apologized to the other person. This is not who I am… who I want to be. Like her, I think of Godly people I know and tell myself, “So-and-so would never do that!” What I need to do instead is to use these opportunities to remind myself how much I need continual dialogue with God… how much I need to call on God for the ability to do better. I need to be more aware of my quick retorts and sharp comebacks… and I need to thank God for the grace He extends when I falter.
We are all works in progress. God is looking for forward advancement… disciples who continually seek Him and call on Him to extend grace… to them – and through them to others in their path. Are you paying attention to your words and actions? Are you operating in God’s grace? Do you have His peace and contentment in your life? Aren’t you ready for a hefty dose? Study this passage and the verses that surround it. You might even want to pick up a copy of Unglued for yourself! But learn to operate in God’s peace and ditch the snappy comebacks. Everyone will be better for your efforts!
©2013 Debbie Robus
Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst~©2012 Zondervan Press
And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
My cousin recommended a book to me that was written by Christian speaker and author Lysa Terkeurst, titled Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions. Terkeurst begins the book by describing an incident in which she stepped out of her shower to discover that there were no clean towels. She knew her daughters liked the thick thirsty towels she and her husband kept in their master bath, and she immediately assumed that the girls had used their shower and helped themselves to the towels. So she went on a rampage… the girls were told to never, never, ever use her bathroom shower – or her towels – again! She later learned that her son was responsible for the missing towels, and she lay in bed that night rehashing her earlier outburst – and feeling guilty and ashamed.
Terkeurst explains explosive outbursts (or snapping at each other) as something we often regret… something that feels good in the moment - but terrible afterward. We then operate in shame – for ourselves or others… or we stuff our feelings and build walls around them. Sometimes those “walls” become more like fortresses! Some of us are “stuffers” who push down our emotions and reactions initially… then deal with the ramifications later (often rather poorly)! The author shares about an airline employee who snapped at her over a piece of lost luggage. Terkeurst did not raise her voice or “snap” at the employee per se, but she got her point across with a rather sharp comment that she later regretted. I’ve done this myself… haven’t you?
So what do we do about this? The author maintains that our regret signals awareness that this is not Godly behavior and can open the door for us to do better as we move forward. We are not necessarily bad people because of our outbursts… but this type of conduct is not what God desires for us. God does not want His disciples to go through life with their feelings on their sleeves… or “letting it all hang out!” But we are all human – and imperfect… so He stands ready to offer us with grace when we fall short.
Is this a license to snap at others and tell them how you really feel… to let your displeasure and/or disapproval be readily known whenever a situation arises? Absolutely not! But God wants us to realize that He loves us even when we are unlovely or misbehave. And that is the point… we are to extend this same grace to others… to look for their best and always do what we can to bring this out in them. We find peace when we operate in grace… when we strive to be more like our Heavenly Father.
I am right there with this author… when I say something unkind or offer a quick retort, I tend to beat myself up and feel terrible – even if I apologized to the other person. This is not who I am… who I want to be. Like her, I think of Godly people I know and tell myself, “So-and-so would never do that!” What I need to do instead is to use these opportunities to remind myself how much I need continual dialogue with God… how much I need to call on God for the ability to do better. I need to be more aware of my quick retorts and sharp comebacks… and I need to thank God for the grace He extends when I falter.
We are all works in progress. God is looking for forward advancement… disciples who continually seek Him and call on Him to extend grace… to them – and through them to others in their path. Are you paying attention to your words and actions? Are you operating in God’s grace? Do you have His peace and contentment in your life? Aren’t you ready for a hefty dose? Study this passage and the verses that surround it. You might even want to pick up a copy of Unglued for yourself! But learn to operate in God’s peace and ditch the snappy comebacks. Everyone will be better for your efforts!
©2013 Debbie Robus
Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst~©2012 Zondervan Press
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