Listening to the Holy Spirit:
Seek peace with those who disdain. Give grace to those who do not understand. Slowly you approached, even now difficulty in abandoning to My ways. As I give grace, so too My followers. It is grace, not judgment that draws. There will be a time for judgment. All the earth will know that time, but you shall be witnesses only, and even now it is the same. Your eyes are blocked with righteousness not of your own. You were called and cleansed, not that you would judge, but that others would know of that cleansing. They are to be drawn to the Living Water. Do not be a barrier of righteousness to the starving. They know not what they seek. If they see in you disdain for theirs, they will not taste what you have found. Patience and kindness I have shown the world. My eyes see the great suffering, but wait that those drawn will come. You do not know who the Father draws; do not judge. It is a poor counselor who knows not whom he prosecutes. You have been given grace in abundance; do not hold from those who have little.
Eph 2:4-5 (ESV) – But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.
Eph 2:8-9 (ESV) – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Rom 3:23-24 (ESV) – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Taking It to Work:
Who do you work with that “rubs you the wrong way”? Maybe they are bossy, or loud, or lazy. Maybe they are arrogant, rude or vulgar. Whatever the case might be, they also may be future brothers or sisters in Christ whom God wants to extend grace, through you!
We have to remember, we all rubbed God the wrong way at one time, and at times, we probably still do. What was His response? Grace. Amazing grace!
What’s more amazing, is knowing how bad we still can be, even after God’s grace rained down upon us, and then, at the same time, we can be so judgmental of others who have not even truly met our God yet. Seems we somehow expect non-Christians to act like Christians.
Jesus was humble and gentle to the lost. He wept for them, ate with them, and very patiently taught them. He loved them before they knew Him. Even with Judas at the table, Peter after his denial, and lifelong crooked tax collectors, we are awestruck by our Master’s grace.
We are again reminded, we have been given an incredible amount of grace, and are still in need of it. We really are in no position to be short on grace for others. So, who is it that rubs you wrong? Like our Lord, be full of grace, as His Word works in you, today.
