Laced With Grace

Yesterday, my husband and I tried a new restaurant. Well, it’s not really “new,” just new to us. All the restaurants around here are new to us since we just moved to the area. We’ve enjoyed trying them out and discovering which will be our favorites.

The one we tried yesterday serves fried fish, seafood, and Cajun dishes. I had grilled Tilapia and shrimp, Cajun fries and Cole Slaw. My husband had fried catfish. The food was delicious and well-priced. But I don’t know if we will eat there again. Why not? The service was probably the worst we’ve ever encountered.

The atmosphere was casual. They take orders at the counter and then bring the food to your table. I sat in our chosen booth while my husband ordered. It took a full 15 minutes to place the order. The employee was far from informed about the menu and knew less about the register. Thirty minutes later my food came, but Wayne’s did not arrive for another twenty.

We weren’t the only ones having problems. A family behind us had a similar experience. The husband’s meal arrived but the wife and son’s did not. Fifteen minutes later the waitress discovered their meals cooling off in to-go boxes on the counter. Then I heard another man asking why they would not honor the coupon he brought in. And someone else across the restaurant asked why they still had not gotten their food. It doesn’t matter how good the food and the prices are, if this kind of service continues the restaurant won’t be in business much longer.

We Christians have the best news, the best gift to offer in the entire world:

All of us are sinners and deserve death, eternal separation from God. But God offers forgiveness and eternal life through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. And all this is free! A gift of grace and mercy from God!

So why isn’t the world jumping at the chance to accept this free gift? There are many reasons people reject Jesus. Sometimes though the problem is in the “service.” Sometimes we Christians give priority to other things. Sometimes, we don’t know how to share the Gospel message. Sometimes, we share the news with a self-righteous attitude. Sometimes, our lives don’t look like they’ve been radically changed by the Spirit of God.

Peter spoke directly to this issue:

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 4:15-16, NIV

Here is a summary of Peter’s points:

• Make Christ your absolute priority.
• Know how to share the Good News about Him.
• Remember you are a sinner saved by grace.
• Share the Gospel respectfully and graciously.
• Live a godly life so no one can slander Christ’s name because of you.

Have any of these points struck a chord with you today? Is there one you particularly need to work on in your life?

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”(John 8:31-32 NKJV)

The word “abide” means “to live” or “to dwell.” So, to abide in Christ, means to live in Christ together as one person. Jesus Christ and the Word of God are one in the same. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. “ (John 1:14 NKJV). So, if we will abide in Christ, then we abide in the Word.

Abiding in God’s Word is extremely vital in becoming a follower of Christ; it results in knowing the truth, which sets us free from the bondage of sin. (See: Ephesians. 4:17-24 NKJV)

If we will abide in the Word, the Word will instruct us and teach us in the way we should go. (See Psalm 32:8 KJV).

 Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5 KJV)

In the Parable of the Vine in John 15:1-17; we find an illustration that Christ gave His disciples on how their relationship with Him should be. Everyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ and confesses Christ as their Savior receives a new position in life. Each new believer goes from being dead in his sins “in Adam” to being alive to God “in Christ.”

In Jesus’ illustration in John 15, God is the gardener, Christ is the true vine, His disciples are the branches held in place by the vine, and the Holy Spirit is the sap that flows from the vine to the branches, giving them the vine’s life and power. The branches cannot bear fruit unless they remain (abide) in the vine at all times. The gardener “grafts” the branches into the vine, and as the branches remain (abide) in this new position, they become “one wood” with the vine.

Christ used this example from nature to help His disciples understand how essential daily intimacy and connection with Him would be in their lives in order for them to bear fruit for God’s glory—which is the purpose for which He saves us. God’s vision for each of his children is that we know and become like Jesus. The only way to know and become like Christ is to abide in Him. We abide by surrendering our lives to Him and allowing the Holy Spirit to control us instead of being controlled by our sinful desires.

To abide in Christ, it is imperative that we abide is the Word of God. In John 15:3, Jesus told His disciples that it was His Words of Truth that had made them clean. In Verse 7, Jesus tells His disciples how vital it is to know His Word in order to have an effective prayer life. His Word is so essential if we are going to abide in the Vine and bear fruit that glorifies God. In order to abide in Christ, we must communicate with Him. As in any good relationship, this includes both talking to Him, and listening to Him. The Word of God is His voice in our lives. His Spirit assists us in understanding what God is saying through His Word. As we spend time abiding in His Word, the more we know Christ and begin to understand His heart, His plans, and His purpose. As we know Him more, we will trust Him more. As we trust Him more, we will surrender to Him more. As we surrender to Him more, we will bear more fruit.

It is imperative to understand that abiding is the only way that our lives will glorify God because when we abide, we bear the fruit that the vine produces (See Gal. 5:22-24 and 2 Peter 1:5-8).

God’s will for us is not just that we have an intimate relationship with Christ through abiding. His will is that we have an intimate relationship with Christ so that we will bear fruit for His glory.

If we abide in Christ, the Holy Spirit flows from the Vine through us- the branches- bringing to us the life and the power of the Vine.  To abide means daily surrendering our lives to God, allowing Him to work in us and through us.

Dear gracious heavenly Father, Thank you for providing Your Son so we can know You intimately through Him and Your Word. May we daily abide in Your Word of Truth, and in so doing may we produce much fruit for Your glory. In Jesus name, amen.

My 9 year old self just LOVED to dress up!

It’s October 31^st and millions of people will spend billions of dollars to eat candy and dress up as someone (or something) else today. It may be fun to dress up as someone else for an event. But what about when we habitually wear an invisible mask to hide who we really are, when we pretend to be someone we’re not.

Too often we’re just not happy with ourselves. If we’re tall, we want to be short. If we have curly hair, we want it straight. We’re an introvert, and we want to be outgoing. We covet another’s talent or riches and don’t appreciate the talents and blessings that we have. Sometimes it’s more sinister. We subtly lie or cheat and may not even realize we’re doing it, stuffing the truth to maintain a certain façade.

Someone greets us, “Hi! How are you?” Outward smile. “Fine, thanks!.” Inward despair. “If you only knew.” Of course, we don’t need to share our innermost thoughts with everyone we encounter. Sadly, not everyone who asks the question even cares how we really are.

But God calls us to honesty and transparency, not deception. The dictionary defines “mask” as:

(1)a covering for all or part of the face, worn to conceal one’s identity.     (2)anything that disguises or conceals; disguise; pretense.

ANYTHING that disguises or conceals – pretense – that’s a mask.

Today my daughter shared with me her dilemma about whether to share a possibly hurtful truth with a friend. She wants to respond as “nice Lauren” – smile on face, “that’s okay” on lips. But her insides churn with the truth. It is not ok, and today she will take off that mask and speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15) Sometimes being honest is a risk. We risk being accepted. But if  we aren’t honest in the relationship, we are playing make-believe which only increases our insecurity in the relationship. “What if they find out the real me?”

Paul said: We are not trying to please people but God, who examines the motives of our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask … God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else… 1 Thess. 2:5-6

Last week, my facebook friend Robin Prater posted, “Being the REAL you is so much better than being the FAKE you. If we spent as much time seeking the Lord for who we are to be as we do trying to be like others, just imagine all the possibilities.”

Imagine the possibilities of life without the mask!!

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ps – Funny but true: