What About Grace?

So I was on-line yesterday afternoon, trying to get some stuff together for a project I still don't have done when I discovered the lead singer of a group I like had married a solo artist I have enjoyed in the past. I knew the one person had been married and divorced a few years ago and had made some questionable career choices. And I discovered this person had apparently made some recently, as there was a blog which felt it was its duty to keep a continual reminder up of this person's faux pas.

As I talked with my husband about it later, I said I had the urge to post on this person's web site that he or she is really acting like a Pharisee. I wanted to point out there is only one sin Jesus said was unforgivable (blaspheming the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12: 31-32)), that God forgives and forgets our sins when we genuinely repent, that grace covers a multitude of sins and hey, how big is that plank your eye? But hubby said such a thing would be pointless -- it wouldn't change their minds. Plus it is the goodness of God which brings men to repentance (Romans 2:4), not my sarcastic replies and jabs.

It's sad, really, how so many of us in the Christian community can judge each other (I'm as guilty as anyone else), finding Scriptures to back up our wrong stances and misconceptions. Sure, look at the person's fruit and see where they're at. Be careful who you associate with and all of that. But then remember what many a person has been taught, Christian and non-Christian, as the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. (Mark 12:31, Galatians 6:7).

And remember the great grace and love and mercy which have been bestowed upon you. Unearned. Undeserved. But available to all who will receive it.

A Thousand ???

Sometimes . . . okay, many times . . . well, there are times when I wonder why God bothers with me at all. I mean, really. I can get myself stuck in a bad rut faster than you can say "Quit spinnin' your wheels!"; I have missed my share of oppurtunities to do the right thing and generally have made many, many messes.

Then I have those times when I'm working with the kids at my church or I'm working on a writing project or am out with my husband or doing any of a myriad of things and I know, I know I'm where I'm supposed to be with Him, doing what He wants me to do.

The trick, I'm thinking, is to carry the lessons I've learned in the past and keep on moving forward without constantly looking over my shoulder. When I honestly and humbly come before God, admitting to Him my screwups and ask for His forgiveness and His help to change, I need to trust and believe changes will happen.

I'm blessed to teach Sunday School with a wonderful lady at my church, and today she did the coolest demonstration of how completely our sins are erased from God's record. What she has done is have the kids write their sins on a piece of flash paper she purchased from a magic store. Then she set it on fire and, being flash paper, soon it was gone without a trace. No ashes. No smoke. No record at all of the sins recorded on it.

And that's how it is when we ask God to forgive us. Our wrongs are gone without a trace. So when the devil or other people or our own selves try to bring those things up again, we need to remind them and ourselves to God, it's as if we never did those things.

And that can put a lot of ??? to rest.