Grace, Grace and more Grace

Lately I have been very exhausted from work. Parched really. Last night I had a little refreshment from the Lord. I had decided to give the guys I was closing with that night a break right after I closed the doors. I started to talk to one of them about God's grace. How I was thankful that I don't have to jump through hoops anymore to get acceptance from Him. I never did really. It was me who had put these unbearable burdens on my shoulders. He was like a friend constantly asking me if he could take them off. I for some reason thought that they were some kind of covering. I thought that if he was to take away my works that he wouldn't love me anymore. I was afraid that he would see my weaknesses. Why didn't I understand that He already did? I didn't understand what scripture meant when it says that in our weakness we are strong. Why are we so afraid of being weak? Our culture has made things that are the key to relationships, weak things. Sensitivity, emotions, caring, honesty and truth. No wonder so many marriages struggle. Men think that they have to be strong not weak. So they show no sensitivity or emotions. They decide not to have a conversation about things that they struggled with when they were young. Men don't cry. Men don't cry! On the contrary, what which our culture considers weak, is the very thing that makes a marriage or a person strong. My wife knows me! My God knows me! and they both Love me! It is the sharing of my weakness that makes me strong. I served on staff at churches for 12 years and didn't understand the most basic principle of Christianity. GRACE You and I don't need to do anything to get Jesus to love us. He already does and He sees our weakness as our strengths, not a burden. We are to rejoice in this Grace and in our weakness!

Love and Fear

1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

I was thinking about this verse yesterday. Do I do the things I do in LOVE or in FEAR. Even the little things. What we say or decide to do throughout the day. When we walk by things that we can do but leave for another person, is that action in love or in fear. You might say, How would something like that be in fear? One example is that you might be afraid that you are going to do it wrong. Love pleads another case. Love would stop and do it. I know that sounds simple.

Another example of love and fear is in the words we say. This has become more and more evident since my wife and I started our honest crusade. I actually just coined that now but its true. When you decide to be honest, it becomes hard. Truth really is a narrow road. Are we honest with those in our family about the things they do that hurt us. They might not be doing it on purpose but it still doesn't change the fact that it is hurtful. Or do we fear their retaliation. Do we fear that they will not love us anymore. Many times we are weighing in our minds the cost of the truth or a lie, honesty to deception. That is what it means to lie, don't fool yourself. To lie is to deceive. You are deciding in your mind if you would rather tell the truth to the person you are talking to or you are deciding to deceive them. In the end, if we decide deception, we don't realize that our whole relationship is based on a lie. Even if it was little and that lie was rooted in Fear. That is why Jesus said "The Truth Shall Set You Free!" Free from false relationships, false religion, and false self. Free from the fear of what people think of you because you are honest. This is what makes Jesus Love for us so awesome. He loves us even though He knows the honest self. We come before Him as if we were still in Eden. Fully naked (nothing to hide behind) and Fully honest! He knew this even when He decided to die! Awesome!