We rob God

We actively rob God.

Every time we sanitize our stories and minimize our sins, we steal glory that is due God in exchange for a “more acceptable to others” version of our lives.  To hear people talk about coming to faith, one would think that most came to know Christ after a season where they by themselves had cleaned up their lives and really were living right and it just seemed like the next logical step to take.  NOT TRUE. We have lost the ability to be ashamed and ache of any sin.

We have exchanged a true snapshot of our stories for a public relation acceptable version.
We describe our rejection of the true gospel as “struggling.”
We say “bad choices” when we should say things like liar, thief, manipulator, adulterer, unrepentant, etc.

The great prayers of Nehemiah 9, Ezra 9, and Daniel 9 all have these components.  The people of God so feared Him in reverence that they tell of their own rejection with precise detail and recount the faithfulness of God throughout the generations.

I ache that we have lost our way in this.  I am praying for each of us.

Hear Paul describe His story of rejecting God and God choosing and calling Paul out.  This is what July 2009 felt and looked like in my life, painful and yet so so beautiful.

Acts 26:9-18 ESV
I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth.  And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.  Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.

“On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests.  About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions.  We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’

“‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.  ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you.  I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

2010 Reflection

I wanted to share with you four verses that impacted my life in 2010 and several resources in hopes that any or all of them will encourage you.

Ezekiel 36:22-26

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Micah 7:7-9 NIV

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.

2 Samuel 14:14 NIV

Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.

Ecclesiastes 7:14 NIV

When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.

Here are three great resources for reading the Bible online:

www.youversion.com

www.biblegateway.com

www.bible.cc

One of my favorite things to ever be associated with is People of the Second Chance.  You can join them at www.potsc.com

On Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/peopleofthesecondchance
Mike Foster has a book called Gracenomics that I highly recommend.  I reviewed the book here, http://davidagraves.wordpress.com/2010/09/14/gracenomics-2/

If you use Twitter, check out http://twitter.com/#!/MikeFoster and http://twitter.com/#!/search/Potsc

The other group that I am involved in is Tapestry of Hope.  http://www.tapestryofhope.com/templates/System/default.asp?id=30368
On facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/route1520

on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/talprince

I am not sure what 2011 holds but I am making different choices.  I choose faith over feelings and emotions.

Happy New Year to you.

I pray that God will do whatever it takes in you, whether pain or fire to bring about His deepest assurances of peace and hope that only rest in Him.  I pray that all your relationships push you closer to the cross and that each of us would limp with a purpose.

Gratitude

Joel 3:10 NIV
Let the weakling say,  “I am strong!”

I know that I can only boast in what Christ has done, the very thing that I could never do for myself.

It is difficult to capsule today but I will try.  It is as if my life only began 18 months ago.  Everything is being seen from the devastation and the beauty that has followed.  I experienced the best worst day of my life on July 26, 2009 when confronted with my horrific sin.  Over the course of weeks, I lost most things dear to me.  In November, I turned myself in on charges stemming from my sin.  November 8th, my face led off the news locally and continued for several days.  My life was in shambles.  I was walking in the ashes.  I had no concept of up or healthy.  A very painful and beautiful process began to take place.  I call it the severe mercy and grace of God.  He began to tear away years of isolation, deceit, sense of entitlement, abuse, and neglect that had led to pain in my life and the lives of those I love.

I remember that one year ago today, a family who pours into the lives of my sister and her family invited me over for Christmas lunch.  I honestly didn’t want to go.  I did not know them and was still very gun shy about showing my face in public from the shame and embarrassment of the hurt I had caused.  I knocked on the door and was greeted with a hug as if I was the expected guest.  Grace was poured over me that day by several people.  I even received a gift to my surprise.

I got a phone call from that same lady with the same invitation for this year.  I was very excited.  I love being around my sister and her family.  I don’t have to put on any show.  I got the same hug at the front door.  I even brought stuffing.  I became overwhelmed to the point of tears when I stood outside watching the snow fall, “Thank you Lord for the pain and for your grace.  I know that it is your hand that has led me over the last 17 months.”  A simple prayer trying to muster the words to express gratitude for a gift that far outweighs them all.  I had a moment to catch both the husband and wife away from the rest of the crowd and I wasn’t shy about my thankfulness.  “This time a year ago, I was very fragile and the two of you showed me tremendous grace.  Thank you,” as tears streamed down my face.  The husband looks at me and says, “that is what I am supposed to do.”

We gathered later in the kitchen to say grace.  As we took hold of each others hand, he looks at me and says “David, our home would be honored if you would ask the blessing.”  I almost cried again (big surprise.)  Here is the prayer as best I can remember:

“Oh Lord, for the sake of your beautiful name and for your glory we give thanks.  Thank you for friends and family.  Thank you for the severe grace in that great exchange where you took on our brokenness giving up your righteousness in order to make us right with God.  We ask that you bless this food for your glory.  Amen.”

Today, I was able to do several of my favorite things: (stealing the list thing from Jen West, she rocks at list!)
1. sleep in
2. hear one of my favorite pastors (Matt Chandler)
3. Drink hot coffee mid morning with hazelnut creamer
4. talk to several friends and thank them for the grace that God allows them to show me
5. Watch three movies
6. Cook
7. Spend time with family
8. Express my gratitude
9. be quiet
10. fall deep into the assurance that I am loved and pursued passionately by God through grace