A CALL TO DIE BOOK - Day 23

DAY 23: DAILY GRACE
DAY 23: DAILY GRACE
The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught
in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus,
“Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law
Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
(John 8:3-5)
One morning Jesus was teaching in the Temple. Suddenly, some
lawyers and Pharisees burst into the room dragging a woman in front
of Jesus. When they accused her, the people understood why her hair
was messed up and she was barely clothed. She had been caught
in the act of adultery, and these religious leaders wanted to have
her stoned to death for her sin. Imagine how she felt at that moment!
Caught in the act ... dragged out and accused publicly ... facing
a horrible death. Jesus could have said, “Yes, that’s what the Law
says. Come on, everybody. Pick up a rock, and let’s get it over with!”
But he didn’t. She deserved death. Jesus gave her grace. After all
the accusers had left the room, Jesus stood alone with the woman.
Jesus asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned
you?“No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus
declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:10-11). God’s
grace is not a new concept. It is as old as God himself. In fact, grace
is God’s very nature. He forgives sinners because it pleases him to be
kind to us. His grace doesn’t excuse sin and say, “Oh, she couldn’t
help it.” Grace doesn’t minimize it and say, “It wasn’t that bad.” The
grace of God looks sin in the face in all its ugliness-and forgives. Our
sins deserve condemnation. They deserve the righteous wrath of God
to be poured out to punish us. That’s why God’s great grace is so
wonderful: We deserve just the opposite! Speaker and author Jerry
Bridges once said that grace is “God’s goodness displayed toward our
unworthiness.”
Have you noticed all the rules and commands listed in the Scriptures?
Do they seem to be demanding, diffi cult, and guilt producing? These
laws are God’s perfect standard of holiness for us, and they show us
how far we miss that standard. Paul wrote, “The law was added so
that the trespass (and our awareness of sin) might increase. But where
sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Rom 5:20). Do you see
it? The more we are aware of our sinfulness, the more we will be aware
of God’s grace! Those who think they don’t sin very much don’t have
much appreciation for the forgiveness and kindness of God, but those
who are very aware of the dark parts of their hearts are very thankful
for God’s grace. Paul then asks a question: “What shall we say then?
Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” He answers that
question: “By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any
longer?” (Rom 6:1-2) Paul’s conclusion is very similar to the statement
Jesus made to the woman caught in adultery: When we are gripped
with the grace of God, we won’t take forgiveness for granted. We will
“go and leave our life of sin.”
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DAY 23: DAILY GRACE
No matter what you’ve done, God’s grace is greater. No matter how
big or how bad your sin may be, God’s grace provides forgiveness,
hope, and restoration. His grace is unlimited. His cookie jar of grace is
never empty.
Almost every relationship we experience, every class we take, and
every job we hold is based on performance. We get what we deserve.
That perspective is so pervasive that it is difficult for many of us to
realize that God breaks this mold. He treats us very differently. We
don’t get to heaven based on what we’ve done. We get there in spite
of what we’ve done-even the worst of us.
If I showed up in heaven, and I found that getting there was based on
my performance, I’d know I sure didn’t belong! God would have to
grade on a curve-a huge curve-for me to make it on my own! But God
doesn’t grade on a curve. His standard is perfection. You and I can’t
possibly achieve that, so we have to turn to someone who did. We
can walk boldly into the gates of heaven, and if the guy at the ticket
booth says, “Hey, do you belong here?” we can tell him, “No, not on
my own. Jesus paid my way.”
Some of us think of grace only in terms of the point of our salvation
experience. Certainly, the grace of God brings us to repentance so
we are born again, but grace is an “all day, every day” thing. We
don’t dip our toe into it only when we become Christians and when
we blow it really badly; we dive in headfirst and soak our hearts in it.
Over and over again in the New Testament, the writers use the term “in
Christ” to describe believers. When God looks at you and me, he sees
the righteousness of Christ because we are “in him.”
And some of us think God shakes his head and grimaces when
he dispenses grace to us. We think he is reluctant to be kind to us,
but that’s not true at all. God delights in showing his goodness and
forgiveness to us. When Jesus talked to the woman caught in adultery,
I think he was smiling when he told her, “Neither do I condemn you.” I
think she felt his love because his smile was genuine and obvious. The
grace of God reveals his glory and his nature. When we understand
more about grace, we understand more about God’s heart. It
changes us.
We tend to make two mistakes regarding the grace of God: When
things are going well, we don’t even think of God; but when things are
going bad, we think it’s so bad that even God can’t fix things.
In his tape series, “Disciplines of Grace,” Jerry Bridges says, “Your best
days are not so good that you are be; yond the need of God’s grace,
however, on your worst days, you’re not so bad that you are beyond
the reach of God’s grace.”
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DAY 23: DAILY GRACE
The grace of God is at work in our lives from beginning to end.
Even our desire to please God is a result of his grace working in our
hearts. Our choices to obey are by the grace of God. The changes
we experience and the ways God uses us to change others’ lives
are by the incredible grace of God. No, the grace of God is not an
ointment we dab on when we feel bad. It is the air we breathe in our
relationship with Christ.
As we soak up the grace of God, we gain three things:
-We have hope and assurance that God forgives, God cares, and
God provides. No sin is bigger than God’s grace, and no situation is
too difficult for it.
-We are full of thankfulness. Like the woman in John 8, we realize that
we deserve condemnation, but we received kindness and love.
-Our motives for obedience are clarified. Grace turns a teeth gritting,
“do or die” attitude into a thankful, “do because he died” gratitude.
We obey out of love, not because we’re afraid of him.
By now you’ve been working through this book for a few weeks. You
may have really struggled with some things you feel that God has told
you to do. You may have disobeyed God, and you feel conviction.
If that is the case, remember the grace Jesus showed to the woman
caught in adultery. She blew it, too-big time! But Jesus spoke to her
with kindness, gentleness, and forgiveness. He encouraged her to
respond to his grace by doing better.
Or in the past few weeks, you may have been faithful to do every
exercise in this book and you’ve learned a lot. You’re so proud of
yourself that you can’t wait to tell people how great you’re doing
and the pearls of wisdom you’re learning every day! You need to
remember the grace of God, too. You aren’t more acceptable to
God because you’ve done your homework. You are acceptable
only because Jesus Christ died to pay for your sins. Including the sin of
pride.
How are you responding to the darkness in your life? If you are down,
remember God’s grace in his kindness and encouragement. Or
maybe you are seeing wonderful changes God is making in your life.
If you are doing great, remember that these changes are not your
doing. They are the deep work of the goodness and power of God.
Either way, his grace is truly amazing.
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DAY 23: DAILY GRACE
“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found; Was blind but now I see. ‘Twas
grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved. How
precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed.
-Be still. Listen to what God is saying to you.
1. Describe the situation of the woman brought to Jesus in John 8:1-11.
(Who, what, when, where, how, why?)
2. What do you think she may have been thinking and feeling at the
beginning? ... at the end?
3. When have you felt the grace of God most strongly and clearly?
Describe that time.
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DAY 23: DAILY GRACE
4. What do you typically believe about God’s grace on your worst
days? on your best days?
5. How can a deeper grasp of the grace of God give you: -hope and
assurance?
-gratitude? -clearer motives?
6. Complete this prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to experience your grace
much more because....
7. Read John 8:1-11. Think about each verse, then use it as a guide as
you pray.
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DAY 23: DAILY GRACE
Memorize: Say Psalm 116:1-2 aloud. How can you apply this passage
of scripture today?
Lord, today you are calling me to die to selfish desires by: ‘
You are calling me to obey in these areas:
You are calling me to intimacy with you by:
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