The Face of Grace

How can you ever forget it?  Perhaps it was that time you needed to say something very important to someone you wanted to impress, and found yourself fumbling for words.  Or maybe it was when you had to give that report in class, and your mind went blank.  It might have been the party when you attempted the latest dance step, and failed miserably.  Or how about that easy hoop you should have sunk, but completely missed just as the game whistle blew.

All of us have some of those moments that we’d rather not remember; moments that make us squirm with discomfort.  We look with some envy at people whose lives seem to be touched with a special grace.  It might be the colleague who can effortlessly “work the room” at any business function and is never at a loss for words.  Or maybe it’s our friend who is a “hostess with the mostest.”  Her functions always have the most delicious menu and the unique and perfect decorative touches. 

On TV we watch professional dancers glide across the floor in a graceful waltz, or smooth quickstep.  We see perfect golf swings, near 10 gymnastic routines, no-hit baseball games.  There are vintage slow-motion shots of all-time great football duos like Roger Staubach-Drew Pearson and Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison that are sheer poetry in motion.  Closer to home are those people like my wife, Sue, who seem naturally tuned in to others, and know when a small gift, or note of encouragement is just what someone needs.

The common denominator that all these people share is grace, the ability to move physically or socially in an almost perfect, effortless way.  We look at them and wish we were gifted with their particular grace, and that our attempts at similar skills didn’t feel so forced and awkward.  On our insides it just seems like things should come easier.

Grace is an attractive trait.  It is conveyed in ease of bearing, effortless skill and consideration or thoughtfulness of others.  People tend to exhibit it in isolated areas, but there was one person who possessed it in every aspect of his life.  He is the face of grace.  His name is Jesus Christ.

Jesus was aware of the needs of others and was never too busy to help them.  He was so approachable and easy to be with, that even young children sought his company.  He was brilliant, but always explained things to people in clear terms they could understand, without a condescending attitude.  When hypocritical religious leaders asked him provoking questions, he answered them with such an unassuming eloquence and élan that they were left speechless.

John 1:14 describes Jesus this way: “And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelled in our midst for a time.  We saw His glory as Father God’s only Son, sent from His presence.  He was full of grace and truth.”

God desires to fill you with His grace, the same grace Jesus exhibited.  He wants to give you access to the same gifts of character and skill.  “This good news that God is giving to you is going out all over the world.  It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just like it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace.”  (Colossians 1:6)  Say, “yes” to His gift of grace and watch your life change!

Please come join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM. Our guest speaker, Pastor Charles Stock, will unpack some of the gifts of God’s grace that are ours in Christ Jesus.

Care-Full or Care-Free?

Are you feeling more unsettled these days?  Remember these recent headlines?

            Arizona Rep Giffords Shot and Six Killed in Tucson Mall

            Deadliest Tornado in US History Hits Joplin, Missouri

            Thousands Celebrate Overthrow of Mubarak in Egypt

            9.1 Earthquake and Tsunami Devastate Eastern Japan

            US Employment Rate Reaches New High

            Hurricane Irene Strikes East Coast

            Stocks Nosedive After US Credit Rating Downgrade

These are just a few of the major news stories we’ve been confronted with over the first eight months of 2011.  No matter how major and tragic an event has been, it was soon overshadowed by yet another catastrophe.  With our heads swimming with images of calamity, and our hearts trying to grapple with one worry after another, it’s been easy to feel “maxed out” on tragedy overload.

As I look back, it seems that major events of “bad news” seem to be increasing in both magnitude and frequency.  Trying to process and respond to them is becoming more difficult, and many of us are left feeling overwhelmed and anxious.  We find ourselves wondering, “What’s next?” 

Recent statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) indicate that we are having increasing difficulty handling our anxiety.  Feeling occasional low levels of anxiety is normal, but excessive anxiety that is chronic, difficult to control, and interferes with day-to-day living is an anxiety disorder.  NIMH data reveals that anxiety disorder is the most commonly diagnosed mental illness in the US today.  Currently 18% or nearly 1 in 5 Americans is suffering with anxiety disorder and the numbers are rising.  Those 30 to 44 years old are the most anxious age group.

How can we cope effectively with one distress after another?  How can we stay in control when it seems that the world around us is going out of control?  God knows that the cares of life can become overwhelming, and the Bible gives us this advice:  “Give all your anxiety and worries to God, for He cares about you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

God does not want us to be care-full, but to be care-free.  Care is another term for anxiety.  It is defined as a burdened state of mind due to worry, having a disquieted state of mixed uncertainty and apprehension, and having mental suffering and grief.  God doesn’t want us to be overwhelmed and suffering with constant worry.  He wants us to trust Him and be anxiety free.

Jesus told us in Matthew 6:31-33:  “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For people run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Make the decision today to be care-free by trusting God as your provider.  Let Him be “careful” for you and love you as He longs to do!

Please come and join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM.  Our guest speaker, Mark Stibbe, will discuss our sonship in God in his sermon, “Ministering From a Place of Rest.”

Bundle of Joy

When I have a spare moment these days, one picture keeps resurfacing in my mind.  It’s a picture of the small but powerful Justice Daniel Baik, who in a moment of time forever changed my identity and the identity of everyone in my family.  A true futurist, he has extended my reach into a time yet to come that I will never personally visit.  Totally irresistible, he instantly won our total love and devotion.  Yes, on May 29, 2011 at precisely 3:29 AM, Justice Daniel changed our lives permanently.

You see Justice Daniel Baik is my first grandchild.  He made my wife, Sue, and me grandparents.  He conferred parental status on my daughter Grace and her husband, Steve, and turned my son and 2 daughters into an uncle and aunts.  He will inherit a future I can only try to imagine, and yes, it was love at first sight!

Newborn babies are truly bundles of joy.  They create a universally shared reason to celebrate, bringing family and friends together.  We eagerly search every detail of their tiny beings agreeing (or disagreeing) whom they most resemble, and try to project what they may do later.  “Just look at those shoulders.  That’s football material for sure.”  

They are mysterious puzzles of promise that progressively unfold before our eyes as the weeks and months pass.  And they continue to give us reasons to celebrate: the first smile, independent sitting, crawling, the first step and the first words.  No matter how many times we’ve seen these milestones in others before, they become fresh miracles in our new little one.

There is no way they can grasp the many moments of happiness, excitement and pride they so effortlessly provide to us.  We will continue to be enriched with celebrations of their presence and accomplishments for years to come.  This experience is expressed so well in Psalms 127:3-5a: “Children are a gift of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth.  Blessed is the person whose quiver is full of them.”

Did you know that God feels the same way about you when you choose to become his adopted child?  He thoroughly enjoys your presence and writes your every accomplishment on the tablets of His heart.  Although you may be unaware of it, He is constantly watching with pride as you grow and develop more maturity in Christ.  No matter how large His family, God marvels over the uniqueness of each of His children.  He is completely captivated by you!

When you become His child, He celebrates you as a bundle of joy.  Luke 15:10 states: “I tell you that in heaven the angels rejoice when one sinner repents and comes to God.”  God is a loving father who wants to adopt you as His child.  Say “yes” to His love offer today, and give heaven a reason to throw a party! 

Come and join us this Sunday at 9:00 AM or 11:00 AM as we continue to discuss being loved and adopted as God’s children, part of our current “Born Identity” series.