Grace and Entitlement

As I write this blog, I am also waiting on the phone with a software development company. I've either been on hold, listening to pleasant music, or have been transfered back and forth between various customer service representatives or technical support representatives.

It's times like these - it really is - when I think upon God's grace in my life. I believe that so often our temptation is to conduct ourselves, especially around those with whom we have little to no personal relationship (i.e. customer service representatives, bank tellers, grocery checkers, waitresses), as if we were entitled to their serving us excellently and without error. Yes, some may argue that the money that we pay entitles us to demand good service. But perhaps more often than not, our Western, affluent, immediate-gratification society draws us towards becoming demanding people who believe we're entitled to have others serve us (even if we're paying for it).

And, by us, I mean even we who profess faith in Jesus Christ as God's gracious provision of salvation to sinful and undeserving mankind. Yes, even we who have embraced grace - and by doing so we are essentially saying that we deserve none of God's abundant blessings - even we find ourselves becoming demanding of others, asserting our sinful sense of entitlement.

When we recognize that we are saved by God's grace, that we are entitled to and deserving of nothing aside from the righteous judgment of a holy God, this ought to change how we deal with others. Believers, if you are grace-based in your salvation, then you ought also to be grace-based in your relations.

And as a result, God's grace demonstrated towards me prompts me to show that same grace to the man who cuts my grass, or the woman who handles my vehicle registration, or the guy who makes my coffee, or the girl who puts me on hold.

Do you make demands as one who feels entitled to do so? Or do you show grace as one who deserves nothing but has received everything in Christ?

⁶You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8, NIV)

Scandalous

In recent weeks, we've been hearing the word "scandalous" used quite a few times in the pulpit. We've referred to the Incarnation (God the Son coming down as man to be a light among darkness and reveal the Father to the world) as scandalous. We've referred to Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well as a scandalous rescue.

And it's true - the entire message of the Gospel, and the entire work of Jesus Christ... is scandalous. But, are we clear on what the word scandalous means? I think that, in this day age, when we hear the word scandalous or scandal, our minds automatically think of an event that is ethically or morally questionable. We think of a politician's sex scandal, or of an athlete's doping scandal.

But scandal or scandalous, which we usually see translated in Scripture as "stumbling block" (e.g. 1 Cor 2:3) doesn't necessarily connote moral compromise. Sometimes, it can be taken to mean shocking or absurd or even disgraceful... but without the moral compromise. We understand the entrance of the Son of God into this world in human flesh as shocking. Why would God choose to do such a thing? To some, it even seems absurd. God would never do such a thing... that's ridiculous. And, for the sinless Son of God to be crucified upon a cross and subject to disgrace in this world for the sake of sinners... that is scandalous.

So grace, after all, is scandalous. But not scandalous in the way that we would associate with a promiscuous celebrity or a corrupt politician. Scandalous in a way such that we are left asking, "God, why would You, the almighty Creator of the universe who is righteous and sovereign, take any notice of me? Why would You not spare your Son but instead choose to give Him up for sinners? God, why would you show such grace and mercy to those undeserving and to those unable ever to repay?"

Scandalous. Shocking. Absurd. Ridiculous. Nonsensical. Some just cannot get past the foolishness of the Gospel - it's a stumbling block, a scandal that one is unable to apprehend. Others embrace the Gospel in all its foolishness and find their lives transformed by the Holy Spirit's awakening to the sweetness of the Savior.

What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Ps. 8:4)

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Cor. 1:21-24)

And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. (Heb. 13:12-14)

Non-negotiables

A few days ago, I heard a brother share about his desire to maintain right priorities in life. More than just trying to balance all that he has going on in life, he wanted to prioritize what he had going on. And since hearing that, this has been on my mind.

A few weeks ago, I heard a professor and his wife (both formerly missionaries living overseas) share about how, when they moved back to the States, they made an intentional decision each year to allow each child in their family to participate in one activity (e.g. voice lessons, soccer, dance). They said that they did this in order to teach their children how to choose, how to make decisions, knowing that limitations in life (time, resources, opportunity) make it such that we can never have it all. And since hearing that, this has been on my mind too.

We live in a time and a culture of abundance - of choices, of options, of opportunities. And so the temptation is to choose as many of them as we can, as much as we can while maintaining balance. But my fear - for myself and for those around me - is that we might lose sight of the priorities, of the non-negotiables - in the midst of the abundant choices. One author writes:

... Jesus was never to be caught short on time. Because He knew His sense of mission, because He was spiritually sharpened by moments alone with the Father, and because He knew who the men were that would perpetuate His mission long after He ascended into heaven, it was never difficult for Him to say a firm NO to invitations and demands which might have looked good or acceptable to us.1

How do we find what those non-negotiable priorities ought to be in our lives? Are we asking God to reveal those things to us as we seek Him in prayer and study His Word? Are we willing to realign our lives according to those things once God reveals them to us? Will God honor our efforts to sift away the good things in life in order to make room for the absolute best?

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.'" (Mt 16:24-25)

1 MacDonald, Gordon. Ordering Your Private World. 77-78.

When You've Been Away For That Long...

... it's easy to stay away for just a little while longer.

I've found this to be the case in 3 respects: posting to this blog, maintaining relationships with others, and pursuing God.

It's been over a month since this blog has seen a new post. On the one hand, we're busy people. Christmas season was at hand. There was a lot going on. But then, even as things slowed down, I noticed that the longer I neglected writing a new post, the harder it would be to finally do it. The thoughts and the guilt... If I post now, it will only accentuate the simple truth that I haven't posted in over a month. or.... Maybe the blog hasn't been missed all that much anyways. Would it really hurt to wait another week or two? or... What if I blog today but then next week don't have time again... why start it up now if I might neglect it again in a few weeks?

And all of a sudden, I'm no longer talking about just posting to this blog (even though it applies). I've found similar neglect, guilt-ridden thoughts, self-consciousness, and even lazyness... as it applies to relationships with people. That family member I haven't called or e-mailed for months now. That good friend that went through some rough times but I had never gotten around to checking up on. That brother or sister who went on a missions trip (or still remains on the mission field since) months ago. Today would be a great day to check in, to catch up. But again, the thoughts and the guilt... If I call them today, I'm sure they'll notice that I haven't called in so long. or... How will I know that I'll be able to keep up with them in a few weeks? Maybe I shouldn't bother...

Pursuing our relationship with God... is the same way. The longer you stay away, the easier it becomes to stay that way. We think to ourselves... If I really seek God today, then I'm going to have to face the truth that I haven't sought Him for all too long already.

Seek Him today. As we're reminded by the Psalmist to come and worship our God, we're encouraged, "Today, if you hear His voice..." that we do not harden our hearts to it. (Ps 95:6-9). We're simply called to pursue God, to seek Him... today. Rest in Him and enjoy Him as He welcomes you back after an extended absence. Don't worry about whether you may fail in pursuing Him tomorrow. When tomorrow becomes today, seek Him and pursue Him today.

When you've been away for that long, it's tempting to stay away. Come on back... today... whether you're posting to a blog, deepening relationships, or pursuing God.