Wednesdays with Grace
Grace Reigns
The Lord gave Adam a task. He brought animals for Adam to name them (Genesis 2:19). What a great way for Adam to discover the Creator’s handiwork. But our first parents disobeyed God’s Word. A serpent advised them to eat a fruit and become like God. Instead of calling out the serpent’s craftiness and rejecting his temptation, they abandoned their responsibility and tried to exalt themselves.
A deceptive promise will eventually fail. Rather than become like God in the way they had hoped, Adam and his helper fractured their relationship with God and inaugurated the reign of sin and death over the world. But the Lord of Lords is a ruler above all rivals.
Our history provides foundational lessons for us to learn. On the one hand, we pray for God to “lead us not into temptations but deliver us from evil”. Our young church should establish itself in goodness. Let’s honor God by avoiding temptations that would distract or ensnare us. If we must endure shame and suffering together, need trials to grow our sympathy with the weak and the outcast, or grow in a different way than how we may envision, let’s remain patient and faithful to God. Prayer provides us the peace beyond understanding to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6f).
On the other hand, we ask God to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. God pursued the couple shamefully hiding away from their work in the Garden so He could punish their sin and promise them new life. Are we confronting sin in our midst and also bearing our burdens together? Let’s give and receive forgiveness. Our Lord died for us while we were ungodly and now exalts us to reign in life with Him (Romans 5:17). We can do without false promises, backbiting, heavy-handed control, records of wrong, guilt manipulations, or whatever unholy forces may want to influence our Church, but we desperately need humility, gentleness, self-control, honesty, unity, maturity, and the ministry of reconciliation. Prayer teaches us to speak the truth in love so we may grow and build ourselves up in love (Ephesians 4:15f).
It is difficult to predict our future but wise to build our character upon the foundations of holiness in Scripture. Seductions can appear subtle or bold. Best we remain alert and content ourselves with the work of prayer God calls us to complete. No matter how exciting and appealing any pathway to our growth may seem, leaving God’s steadfast love is always foolish and harmful. God crowns the obedience of Jesus and re-instates the rule of man in the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth. Let’s keep praying together in service to Christ whatever circumstances we face. And may the grace of Jesus Christ, not sin or death, reign among us always!
David Shaw