There are so many places
we can choose
to look out at the world from.
We can see it from a place
of judgment, condemnation, and hate.
We can see it from a place
of shock, disgust, and fear.
We can see if from a place
of complacency, disregard, and indifference.
Or, we can see if from
the place of grace.
Not a grace that
excuses,
looks the other way,
or liberally accepts,
but a grace
that first chooses to remember this:
But by the grace of God,
I am what I am.
~1 Corinthians 15:10
We who have been blessed
(and honestly,
blessed is not a
strong enough word here)
to know God,
to have experienced His love, forgiveness and grace,
to have been made new,
to have received His Holy Spirit,
to have had the eyes of our heart opened to His truth,
to have been given the mind of Christ,
only have God, Himself, to thank for this.
It was nothing we did.
If is wasn't for His grace
revealed to us,
and poured into our heart by His Spirit,
our lives would look very different.
We would probably resemble
exactly what we see
when we,
from our place of grace,
look out at the world -
broken,
lost,
deceived.
The world -
that could be you,
that could be me.
But, for the grace of God.
And the one thing
that is going to make
the most difference in our world,
the one thing that is going
to bring about the change
we so long for and desire,
the one thing that is missing
in this worldly mess,
is The One who came
to earth
as a tiny babe,
to pour His grace
on a world completely
broken,
lost,
deceived.
We can't expect the world
to understand
"What is wrong with the world?"
until,
unless,
they, too, have received of His grace.
Until,
unless,
the eyes of their hearts
have been open
and they, too,
have the mind of Christ.
If we as Christians
want to change our world,
we,
with humility and grace,
have to
1. always remember and never forget -
"That could be me."
2. Introduce the world to the Giver of grace.
If we are faithful to do these two things,
God will be faithful
to do the rest.
~Stacy