Devotions
Pastor R. Michael Sanders
A Cup Full of Grace
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8 NRSV
When asked to define a miracle, one young junior High student said, "A miracle is when something really good happens to you with no strings attached." No strings? That does sound like a miracle!
That’s a great definition of the miracle of grace. No strings. But I’ve met some who have lists of appropriate beliefs and actions to be sure the recipient is suitable to receive grace. For some it’s hairstyles or dress codes. For others is adhering to special doctrines or abstaining from certain social behaviors. A colleague serving in New York, sadly wrote that Churches often "...believe they can measure out grace like cups of sugar. "
You cannot measure out grace. Grace pours over the edges of any container; it floods and soaks all who come into contact with it. Grace stains all those it touches with the love and forgiveness of God.
Do we really want it any other way?
Prayer: Pour it on us, Lord, especially those of us trying to live by the law. It never really worked.
© Copyright 2020 R. Michael Sanders
A Work in Progress
“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Romans .7:15-20 The Apostle Paul
January 13, 2020
Have you ever been cut off by an obnoxious driver only to read a Christian bumper sticker on the back of the car? You shook your head and wished they left their bumper stickers to politics or anything else.
Or perhaps you were humming a praise song when someone just said or did something that caused a response from you that was less than Christian. Just me?
I call these times my moments of temporary discord. The times when my emotion and response do not measure up to who I am and who I am still becoming.
Paul understood this. He lamented his lack of consistency. But he also said that the Christ who saved him was also the one who see us through until the end.
So, as much as we need to repent our failures and our “moments of discord,” we can also rejoice that we are aware of our need. And there is One who is seeing us through.
Have faith. It all comes right. Even us!
Prayer: Lord, it may sound trite to others, but I'm glad You're still working on me.
© Copyright 2020 R. Michael Sanders
Pastor R. Michael Sanders
A Cup Full of Grace
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8 NRSV
When asked to define a miracle, one young junior High student said, "A miracle is when something really good happens to you with no strings attached." No strings? That does sound like a miracle!
That’s a great definition of the miracle of grace. No strings. But I’ve met some who have lists of appropriate beliefs and actions to be sure the recipient is suitable to receive grace. For some it’s hairstyles or dress codes. For others is adhering to special doctrines or abstaining from certain social behaviors. A colleague serving in New York, sadly wrote that Churches often "...believe they can measure out grace like cups of sugar. "
You cannot measure out grace. Grace pours over the edges of any container; it floods and soaks all who come into contact with it. Grace stains all those it touches with the love and forgiveness of God.
Do we really want it any other way?
Prayer: Pour it on us, Lord, especially those of us trying to live by the law. It never really worked.
© Copyright 2020 R. Michael Sanders
A Work in Progress
“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” Romans .7:15-20 The Apostle Paul
January 13, 2020
Have you ever been cut off by an obnoxious driver only to read a Christian bumper sticker on the back of the car? You shook your head and wished they left their bumper stickers to politics or anything else.
Or perhaps you were humming a praise song when someone just said or did something that caused a response from you that was less than Christian. Just me?
I call these times my moments of temporary discord. The times when my emotion and response do not measure up to who I am and who I am still becoming.
Paul understood this. He lamented his lack of consistency. But he also said that the Christ who saved him was also the one who see us through until the end.
So, as much as we need to repent our failures and our “moments of discord,” we can also rejoice that we are aware of our need. And there is One who is seeing us through.
Have faith. It all comes right. Even us!
Prayer: Lord, it may sound trite to others, but I'm glad You're still working on me.
© Copyright 2020 R. Michael Sanders