Grace

Inverse Hypocrisy

August 27, 2018 0Comment

Jesus severely criticized the religious leaders of his day. In Matthew 23, he calls them hypocrites at least 6 times. He also called them a brood of vipers. In fact, Matthew 23:1-3 helps sum up his feelings: Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.”

We’ve all been guilty of “not practicing what we preach” at some time or another. Let’s face it. Jesus left the bar pretty high. However, I’m also guilty of, what I call, inverse hypocrisy. In other words, I expect more out of myself than I do other people. I am can forgive and accept others way quicker than I can forgive and accept myself. Some people may think, “Well, what’s wrong with that? Sounds very conscientious to me.” But there are subtle dangers with being more forgiving/accepting of others than myself. Firstly, it can be prideful. Who am I to think that there are one set of rules for everyone else, and a different, tougher set of rules for me? Do I think I’m better than everyone else?

Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, it belittles God’s grace. It’s almost like saying that God’s grace covers everyone else’s sins more easily than it covers mine….which is ridiculous. I think we should make conscious efforts to forgive and accept ourselves with the same veracity that we forgive and accept others. In others words, I’m going to cut myself some slack and live into my grace.

I’m ending all my posts with an invitation to accept Jesus. If you would like to accept Jesus, simply pray the following prayer or one like it: “Dear Lord, I’m a sinner. I acknowledge that You sent Your son, Jesus, to die for my sins. I humbly accept Your son, Jesus, and I now further acknowledge that I am forgiven of my past sins, my present sins, and my future sins.” If you prayed that simple prayer, you are saved. Now, you need to follow Jesus. Start reading your Bible. I would suggest starting with Matthew, reading all of the New Testament, then reading the Old Testament. Also, find a good church. Christianity was never meant to be done alone. You need to be in community with other believers.

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February 16, 2017 0Comment

One of my most vivid memories of college is not so pleasant. It was the first semester of my freshman year, and I must say….. I was enjoying it. I had an Economics 130 at 0915AM on Monday, Wednesday, and every other Friday. Without my mom around to wake me up, my attendance for the 0915AM class was less than stellar. Nevertheless, by mid-semester, I had an “A” in the class. Then I missed a class “to catch up on my sleep”. Apparently, during that class, the Professor scheduled a test, and I eventually missed the test. I could have accepted my fate, took a zero for the test, and probably still made a “C” in the class. However, I decided to lie, and I lied in a very dishonorable, but college-like way. I told the Professor that I missed the test because my Grandmother died. The Professor became suspicious, and confronted me about my story. I’m not a very good liar, and I told her the truth.

She kicked me out of the class and gave me an “F” for the semester. The “F” was bad enough. I had never gotten an “F” in my life, but I was also on a scholarship, and I needed to maintain a 3.0 grade point average to keep the scholarship. That “F” brought my grade point average down to 2.92.

I needed to call my Dad, but it was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. But I worked up some courage, grabbed a handful of quarters, and found a pay phone (yes, it was that long ago). I called Dad, and he could tell that I was upset. Actually, in my 18 year old head, the world was about to end. I’ll never forget what he told me. He said, “I guess she’s (my Professor) never made a mistake”. With that little bit of reassurance, I knew everything would be okay.

I still have an “F” on my official college transcript to this day, but I didn’t lose my scholarship. I also learned that little white lies are not so white to some people. And while I can’t say that I’ve always been a model for honesty, since that day, I’ve done much better.

However, for me, the real lesson is not about honesty. It was about my Dad showing love and compassion, when I obviously didn’t deserve it. I guess the real lesson was about grace. My earthly father read a situation and responded with love and compassion. How much more love and compassion will our heavenly Father respond with, if we take our problems to Him?

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I Wanna Be in the Club or How do I Get into Heaven

September 6, 2013 0Comment

I felt like the Big Guy Upstairs has told me to write a “How to guide” or a “Frequently Asked Questions” post for God-seeking people. He also told me to add a heavy dose of grace to the post. I have to admit. I feel somewhat unqualified. Nevertheless, God has used unqualified people throughout the Bible. Moses was not only a fugitive, but he was also cowardly, when God first asked him to lead his people out of Egypt. Jonah tried to run and hide from God, when God asked him to go to Nineveh. I guess that I sort of ran from God when he asked me to write this post. I sort of ran from him when I immediately told myself that I was unqualified. I also sort of ran from him because I kept procrastinating. When God asks someone to do something, it generally turns out better, when that person makes it a priority. Since he IS the creator of the universe, I probably should not drag my feet when he asks me to do something.
So here it goes. I guess the biggest question is “How do I get into Heaven?”
You get into heaven by GRACE and grace alone. Grace is so simple and so complex at the same time. A Google search defined grace as “the free and unmerited favor of God”. It is free, meaning that it does not cost anything. It is unmerited, meaning that we do not deserve it and cannot earn it. So, defining grace is pretty simple. However, understanding Grace is not so simple. In our world, everything is transactional or give-and-take. For example, we exchange work for money. We exchange school work for good grades, diplomas, degrees, etc. We exchange money for groceries, clothes, car, etc.
We do not have anything that we can exchange for Grace. All of the good works in the world cannot buy a ticket into heaven. Now, don’t get me wrong. Good works are part of a Godly life and the Bible clearly states that people will be “judged” according to their works. However, that judgment does not determine whether or not you get into heaven. It means God will ask you about your works. He will not kick you out or let you in because of them, however. I agree that the whole “judged according to your work” thing is confusing. I’ll be glad to try to explain it further, if anyone asks.
So, the next question is “If Grace is free and I cannot earn it, then how do I get grace?”
You get grace through Jesus. All you have to do is ask for it. Countless people have punched their ticket into heaven with a modest prayer such as this: “Dear God, I am thankful for your son, Jesus. I believe that you sent him to earth to save us, and that he died for all of mankind’s sins. I ask Jesus to live in my heart so that I can humbly accept his grace and forgiveness.”
If you prayed that prayer, then you are in the club. He punched your ticket to heaven for you. You are forgiven for all of your misdeeds: past, present, and future. Once you are in the club, there is nothing that you can do to get kicked out.
So, the next question is “I’m in the club, what’s next?”
I will try to answer that question in the next blog post….

Grace

Inverse Hypocrisy

Grace

I Wanna Be in the Club or How do I Get into Heaven

You Missed

Intersection of this Life and the next Life

Child-Like

Inverse Hypocrisy

Spread it out before the Lord