Any words I can come up with pale in comparison to the way our beloved Pastor Ray Ortlund speaks about grace, the gospel, and Jesus. And since he is talking about grace right now, I once again have to share his sermon with you. Last week, Pastor Ray beautifully shared about Grace from Above. And he followed that up today by talking about Grace All Around, centered on Acts 11:19-24. Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Barnabas went and saw the grace of God. That glorious grace from above was made visible to him. So what does that mean? What does that look like?
That's what Pastor Ray talked through. He said, "Grace all around is how grace from above becomes visible." The way this world sees the grace of God is through believers, through diverse people willing to break down man made barriers and build unified communities centered around the gospel. People gathered together around Jesus reveal God's grace to those around. I'd love for you to listen to it or read the transcript. I'm sure it will bless you and challenge you as it did me. Let me know your thoughts after you listen! And, if you are in the Nashville area and are looking for a church home, please come visit Immanuel Nashville. No matter where we are scattered around the globe, may we lavishly show grace to those around us. May we spread an epidemic of love and hope and forgiveness and peace as we accept the grace from above and live out grace all around. May others look at His Church and see the grace of God.
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When the words, "Give yourself grace," were spoken to me, a new sense of freedom and peace washed over me. Those early days in motherhood were hard. Very hard. I've written about it a little and I'm working on a book now about it all, but in those early motherhood days my mind was spinning from being inundated with advice from well-meaning people and advice from stacks of books. My emotions were all over the place and the advice constantly conflicted. But when someone told me, "Give yourself grace." I felt renewed. I felt strong again. I felt like I could actually go on another day. I felt hopeful.
That little phrase provided so much relief and renewal and peace. So whenever anyone asks me for parenting advice. I always say the same thing, "Do what works for you and give yourself grace in the process." Yesterday was definitely a reminder to live by my own advice and the kind advice from an incredible woman. As I tried to fight through a migraine and become a functional person again, Katherine watched a lot of shows. A whole lot of shows. I don't like her having so much screen time, but it just had to happen. It was one day and I was hurting. We just needed to do what we could to make it through. It's just a little example, but I was thankful for the reminder it is okay to do what you need to do to make it through the day. And then when you make it through, new mercies are there waiting for you. So press on, friends. And don't be too hard on yourselves. Celebrate making it through today. There's grace enough for today and new mercies for tomorrow. At 2:30 this morning I sat in the shower for as long as the hot water lasted because it was the only place I could be distracted from the pain. I've had a lingering headache all week and last night it decided to turn into a migraine. So when I woke up at 2:00 in ridiculous pain, the only way to momentarily escape was to sit under the shower's steady stream of water. The pain did not wash down the drain, but at least some sense of relief came for a moment. When I curled back up in bed, the pain kept me from doing the only thing I longed to be able to do, fall asleep. And in those dark, painful, lonely moments my mind and heart played Psalm 23 on repeat. It's something I started doing back when I had my surgeries for a pilonidal cyst in 2008. When excruciating pain starts to hang out with you, you have to find some way to mentally fight back. Psalm 23 became my fight song. My song of strength and of perseverance and of hope was Psalm 23. I cling hard to those words when I don't know how to press on. So in this morning's early hours, I reminded myself that even in the midst of great pain, the Lord is my shepherd and in Him there is nothing I want for. He is my shepherd, I lack nothing, and He is with me. Always. And because He is always with me (leading me, restoring me, walking with me, comforting me, protecting me, disciplining me, preparing a place for me, anointing me, granting me goodness and mercy), grace surrounds me. Grace never leaves. Even in the pain and in the darkness and in the valley, He makes His grace known. His presence is grace. His presence makes me lack nothing. And His presence provides hope. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. I have always loved hymns. I've been so drawn to the rich theology in them. I started thinking about songs that revolve around the theme of grace, and Come Thou Fount immediately came to mind. I've never been so drawn to the line "tune my heart to sing thy grace" of this classic hymn as I am now. What does it mean for my heart to sing the Lord's grace? I don't have the perfect or right answer. But I'm glad I'm wrestling through it because I so want my heart to sing the song of grace. I'm pretty positive if my heart is tuned to sing His grace, it will affect my whole being. When my heart is steadfast to grace, then my mind and my thoughts, my actions and my speech will all be more in tune with grace, with the gospel. If my heart is singing grace, I'll be thinking of myself and others in line with the truths of Scripture. I'll see myself and others with eyes of grace. Choosing love will be the only option. If my heart is singing grace, I won't be trying to earn love or favor from God or others. I'll rest in my acceptance by God because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. And that will allow me to confidently be myself around others and accepting of others. If my heart is singing grace, gratitude and joy will be a natural overflow. A life of thankfulness and joy are results of a heart soaked in grace. A heart can be saturated with the gospel grace of my sweet Jesus through being in the Word, being in prayer, and being in community with believers. And a heart in tune with grace, with the gospel, reflects it to a lost and searching world. This world that desperately needs Jesus can glimpse His grace through believers who daily ask God to tune their heart to sing His grace. Hearts singing grace will lead the lost to the Fount of every blessing. Hearts singing grace will change the world for the glory of God and good of others. Check out these great resources about this song and about the beckoning grace of God: The Village Church, "Hymns, History and Theology" by Michael Bleecker Desiring God, "Bind My Wandering Heart to Thee" by Jon Bloom She Reads Truth, "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Ellie Holcomb .Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing My heart is so heavy. There are people I love dearly who are walking through some treacherous valleys right now. Divorce, tragedy, death, calamity, disease, illness, disaster seem to strike everywhere. Whether across the street or across the globe, there are very real hurts all around. People are grieving and suffering and aching. There is a great yearning for peace and comfort, help and hope. And sometimes, most times, I am at a loss for words. So when I don't know what to say or don't know how to process the pains all around, I cling to the Word. I cling to the Truth. I cling to the only thing that is unchanging and constant and steadfast, the only One who is unchanging and constant and steadfast. And His words give hope and life and peace when chaos and confusion and questions surround. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. As we stand on grace, we can rejoice.
Suffering produces endurance. Endurance produces character. Character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint. Suffering is not meaningless. It matters greatly to God. He sees you in your suffering. He cares deeply for you in your suffering. And He is working in your suffering. He uses it all for our good and His glory. And through it all, we are standing on grace. Take heart, friends. His grace will sustain you and sanctify you and give you a hope that does not disappoint. Last year I noticed on Twitter this thing called IF: Gathering being shared. Some of my favorite authors, speakers, and leaders were talking about this God movement taking place and it completely intrigued me.
Since I was new to this whole thing, I just watched online into the early morning hours. I laughed and I wept. I rejoiced and I worshiped. I watched God move and I felt God working. All from my bed with my little one sleeping beside me and my husband sleeping next to her. My mind and heart were blown away watching these women come together in the name of Jesus, laying down their differences and unique ministries, to humbly seek the Lord, vulnerably share their gifts, and joyfully watch the Holy Spirit work. Friends, this is a movement to get behind. God is doing something powerful and it is exciting to see. He is all over this. Men, encourage the ladies in your life to get involved in this. Women, I encourage you to somehow be part of this. This mighty work that God is doing in our time cannot be ignored. He is showering His grace over this global gathering. Registration opened this morning. And although the actual gathering in Austin is sold out (sold out in 4 minutes!), there are local gatherings all around the world (and if you don't see one listed where you are, maybe you should start one!) to get connected with and gather with February 5th and 6th. Sign up and mark your calendars for IF: Gathering 2016! God grants us so much grace in giving us community to walk this journey of life with. We don't have to do this life alone. And the more I break bread with others, worship with others, commune with others, live life with others, I see His grace in action and can simply accept His grace. The Church coming together is beautiful and grace-filled. Let's be part of it. It is impossible for me to watch Katherine happily play and not think about kids around the world who are bearing such heavy burdens. As my sweet almost-two-year-old joyfully bounced from the car to the playground today, my heart felt a heavy tension. I want to live in the moment and celebrate these little joys, but I don't want to be so soaked up in my moment that I lose sight of the harsh realities of others.
Motherhood has brought out that tension full force. The harsh realities of others are constantly on my mind. When Katherine eats, gets hurt, sleeps besides us, plays, laughs, cries I think about children around the world. Experiencing life with Katherine makes me constantly think about life for others. I can't turn that tension off. And I don't think I should be able to or want to. I so often struggle with the questions: Why them? Why not me? So much of life is determined by what family we are born into and what country, place, or zip code we are born in. And we have absolutely nothing to do with that. So why them? Why not me? Why was I born in America and my little girl can run happily and without fear around a playground while others are being sex trafficked or enslaved or abused or fighting for life? Why? Grace. There is no other answer sufficient. I can easily be entangled by fear and questions or be controlled by my own life's happenings. But by the grace of God I am being refined and reminded that my life is not my own. All I have is not mine. So I must use my life for the glory of God and the sake of others. I am where I am to love and to give, to serve and to help. We carry a responsibility to help those who can't help themselves. Those of us who have the ability must leverage our lives for others. Because we are where we are by His grace, and we are a grace to others when we love liberally, give generously, and serve sacrificially. So maybe, just maybe, my questions should change. Instead of asking: Why them? Why not me? Maybe I should be asking: What can I do today for others? How can I serve others for God's glory and their good? How can I take the grace I've been given and be grace to others? God is working something in my heart because of this constant tension. I don't know what that means or what it will look like, but He will work it out. And in the meantime, I am growing and learning, praying and seeking. And by His grace, He uses time on the playground to refine me and remind me to love, to give, to serve, to help. When your pastor preaches right to your heart about the grace of God that is from above, it must be shared. There's just nothing else to write today after hearing his sermon.
So that's made me decide that through this month, I'll have my Sunday posts be ones where I share someone else's work with you. (Not that I won't do that on other days, but Sundays will definitely be a day to expect it.) Whether it be an article or a book or a sermon, I want to invite you to listen in on other conversations about grace. Our church has been such a sweet gift from God. His grace brought us to this community, and His grace allows us to start each week among a sweet body of believers together gaining a deeper love for the Lord, for His Word, for the gospel, and for our neighbors. I leave our worship service each week with greater amazement of God and His grace. Today we looked at Romans 3 and focused on verses 23 and 24, "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." It was a beautiful sermon and I urge you to go listen to it (...as soon as the podcast is up. But in the meantime you should definitely listen to some other ones from Immanuel. They will seriously change your life and make you fall in love with Jesus.) I didn't take many notes because of a squirmy little Katherine, so I don't have much to share for you here from it, but I just want to invite you to listen to Pastor Ray talk about Grace from Above. At the beginning of his sermon, Ray said, "By His grace and for His glory-live well for Jesus and die well for Jesus." After the tragedy that took place this past week and other reminders that this is not our home, those words are comforting and reassuring and powerful. It is wonderful to be reminded that in living and in dying, His grace sustains and His glory can be made known. God works in it all and uses it all. Ray also said, "Grace includes, honors, rewards." May we be people of grace this week. May we see grace as a gift. And may we be people that display the beautiful grace from above to a world that desperately longs for it. I'll be completely honest; this post isn't going to be deep, creative, or soul-searching. It's just in-the-moment-real. I wrote a blog, and then it got disappeared into the vast internet space when our wifi went out for a minute. Somewhere in internet space there's a massive pile of writing from frustrated people who've lost research papers, chapters, articles, and blogs. I'm sure there is a way to hunt it down, or to better prevent that from happening, but oh well. Just oh well.
That happened one time when I started working on my book. Spencer hung out with Katherine so I could go off and write for a bit. I cheerfully went to the park and sat in the grass typing away. It was a lovely and inspiring morning. Until I sat in Starbucks after it got too hot outside, opened my computer, and couldn't find the chapter I had just written. All those words. Gone. Vanished. Another of chapter, filled with words spilled out from the heart, added to the pile of lost work in internet space. Today's blog was a short one. Not a big deal. Although I did have to take a few deep breaths, I got over it quickly. That chapter took me a little longer to get over. But in either case, it's a moment I get to preach to myself. "Grace, Sarah. Give yourself grace and start again." The words that disappeared just didn't need to be read. Different words will come, and just maybe they will be delivered just when they need to be read. God is sovereign over all. When the little stuff happens that can easily frustrate, discourage, distract, God remains on His throne. And from His throne He whispers that His kind and fierce and deep love remains the same. His promises are true. His Word stands firm. His character never changes. No matter what happens that causes us to take deep breaths and start again, grace shows itself in the starting again. Grace shows Himself when we choose to cling to Him and His truths instead of allowing frustrations to fester. When we take our gaze off of our momentary discouragements and look up to our God on His eternal throne, grace falls down on us. And the Grace sustains us, grows us, sanctifies us through it all. I minored in Psychology in college. And honestly, that doesn't really mean much. But as I thought about where my struggle with trying to earn favor, acceptance, and love began, I was reminded about the nature vs. nurture debates.
Very intelligent people have claimed each and every side of that issue. I'm in no way smarter than any of them, but I definitely believe the way we are individually wired and the environments we are in play roles together in who we become. It's not nature or nurture; it's both. But there is something greater than nature or nurture. I am the firstborn of four. And I definitely fit most of the birth order traits. I've always been an introvert, a high achiever, self motivated, organized, responsible, and scared to death of getting in trouble and letting people down. My parents taught me from a young age to work hard. And I will always be grateful for that. (And I'm sure people I've worked for have been grateful for that.) I learned a work ethic that not many kids have today in our culture. I'm indeed appreciative. But I also know if you add that hard work ethic to the desire to accomplish and achieve, you are just constantly striving. And that was the case for me. But there is something greater than the constant striving. And as we journey on through this month, I'll share some personal stories that I hope and pray provide some encouragement for anyone who shares this struggle. But for now, be reminded that God's goodness is better than we can imagine; God's kindness is lovelier than we can imagine; God's love is bigger than we can imagine. And dear friend, our personalities, our birth orders, our DNAs, our environments, our pasts do not have the last say. Our Jesus does. And the grace of Jesus is greater. The sweet grace of Jesus is far greater. |
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