Undeserved Grace

So, today I read Genesis 3 and it totally rocked my world.

Picture this, Adam and Eve are hanging out in the Garden of Eden. They are just minding their own business when all of a sudden a serpent comes along which Satan uses to tempt the two of them. (That is normally how it is right? We are just minding our own business on our walk with God when something comes along to deter us away from Him. But that's another subject all together and I digress...). A discussion takes place in which Satan plays upon Eve's doubt. He squeezes into her mind, finally convinces her that she shouldn't listen to what God commanded her and Adam to do and they take a bite from that fruit that just looks so good. After they do so I can just picture them standing there and realizing that they made a huge mistake. After that realization hits them I'm sure it scared them to pieces especially as they heard the one they had just sinned against walking in the garden. God confronts them about what happened, they admit to having wronged God and He proceeds to bring on the consequences. However, here is the really awesome part! After all the cursing takes place and consequences have been received the Bible says this:

"The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them"
-Genesis 3:21 (NASB)

I know it sounds like such a simple verse, but really read it again...

"The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them"
-Genesis 3:21 (NASB)

Even after Adam and Eve sinned against God, even after they flat out just couldn't obey the one simple rule He had given them, God chooses to show them grace and mercy. Despite the fact that God didn't like how Adam and Eve sinned, He still continued to choose to love and provide for them, just as any loving Father would.

Here is another situation, Genesis Chapter 4.

Here Adam and Eve have just given birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain becomes super jealous of Abel and ends up murdering him. Afterward this is what happens...

"Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is Abel your brother?' And he said, 'I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?' He said, 'What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.' Cain said to the LORD, 'My punishment is too great to bear! Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.' So the LORD said to him, 'Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.' And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him"
-Genesis 4:9-15 (NASB)

So Cain pretty much has an attitude with God because he's still angry and probably doesn't really want to talk about all that just went down. However, God calls him out and is like "Dude? Really? Well, because you did this you are going to have to endure consequences..." I can picture Cain at this point basically being hit with the realization that he messed up BIG time. After hearing about the consequences, Cain knows what could happen because of them, so this causes him to basically freak out and cry out to God.

"Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.'" -Genesis 4:14 (NASB)

Vagrant- (n) Homeless wanderer

"Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me." -Genesis 4:14 (ASV)

"Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." -Genesis 4:14 (NIV)

History: Back in those days people who were wanderers were killed. If I were Cain I would be freaking out about those consequences too. BUT the Lord has compassion on Cain.

"'So the LORD said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.' And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him." -Genesis 4:15 (NASB)

"But the LORD said to him, 'Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.' Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him" -Genesis 4:15 (NIV)

So Cain sinned again God, he murdered his brother our of jealousy, yet God still had compassion on him. Cain cried out to God in fear, and I can only imagine, in full knowledge of what he did that was wrong. God heard Cain's cry and although he still had to endure the consequences of his actions, God poured out His grace and His mercy.

God loves His creation. He is an all around loving Father who wants nothing more than pour out His goodness, His grace and His mercy on those who don't deserve it. Whenever we sin against God we break His heart, yet He still continues to hold out His hand to us in assurance that He loves us so very much.

Just as God did then, how much more will He continue to choose to provide and bless us even when we sin and mess up? His love cannot be quenched simply because we sin against Him. God is never angry with anyone for sinning against Him either. There is nothing that you or I could ever do to cause Him to turn His back on us. Ever. Although undeserved, He is abounding in grace And that, my friends, is one of the most amazing things about God. There is no one else who can or who will offer that kind of grace to us. God is good, friends. So very good.

Fear

This is Misty. She's about 11 years old and we have had her for 9 1/2 of those years, adopting her from the shelter when she was about 1 1/2 - 2 years old. She was my first dog and I actually was the one who named her, so this girl holds a special place in my heart. As she has grown older, she has obtained a variety of health problems including cataracts. For someone/an animal with cataracts it's as if there is something blocking their vision directly in front of them. Her condition began to become apparent early last year when she started acting funny, and when she had trouble catching anything or seeing that there was food in front of her. It has progressed to the point where she walks very slowly and on walks she has problems. Since being home from school, I have been taking Misty, my parents other dog Kita, and my dog Cyrus on walks every night this week. Tonight I had to "tug" and gently coax Misty on our walk more than I have had to other days this week, whether it was to cross the street or to just get her the rest of the way to the house. As I was looking back and encouraging her to keep on going, I began to think about the similarities between us and God in comparison to Misty and I.

First, here's a little bit of history. Lately I've been dealing with fear. Like, stop you in your tracks, heart pounding, nauseating, butterflies in the stomach, muscle tensing fear...especially when it comes to the future.


The future scares me. No, it absolutely TERRIFIES me. I have been super blessed and haven't ever had to pay for anything, and knowing a year from now, that I will have to take care of myself rocks my world in a not to exciting way. God has really been dealing with me on this lately. The word clearly states that there is absolutely no reason to be afraid, yet my spirit and my heart shudder and shake with any talk of the future. I dread the question "so, what are you going to do when you graduate?" I also am currently trying to live in denial of the fact that I graduate from COLLEGE in a year, because in reality it seems like yesterday that I was graduating from high school!

However, one thing that has been really great is that God has slowly been revealing things to me.

.Very.


.Very.


.VERY.


.Very Slowly.



Although I suppose (no...I know) that if it was any other way I would be more freaked out than I currently am. [[gotta let Jesus prepare my heart right?]] Despite the fact that I am pretty sure I know where God wants me for my masters and although doors keep opening up and the right paths seem to be clearer than ever before I find myself in the shoes of Misty, my old Siberian Husky. For one, it takes a whole lot of faith and trust to not be able to see where you're going and yet, still follow your master. Misty trusts me enough to know that I'm not going to lead her anywhere "bad". However, before I ask her to cross the street, she hesitates and I have to convince her that it's OK. Also, when it's light outside she has more confidence in me, walking ahead of me on a loose leash or to my side, but when the sun goes down she walks a whole lot slower and she walks behind me. It's in this moment that I have to try not to drag her down the sidewalk to get her to finish her walk because she's walking so slowly. Instead, I have to convince her that it's OK for her to keep going even though she can't see.

It's the same thing with us and God. Sometimes it's like we have cataracts on our spiritual eyes. The future, whether it be tomorrow, next week, next year, or ten years from now, is super unclear and we have no idea where we're going. In fact, when we look ahead, the future looks so dark and bleak that we don't know where to place our feet next. We're blind, it's dark, it's scary. There's an obstacle blocking our view and we can't see around it even though we try so hard to do so!


When it's lighter outside it's easier to trust when we can't see so well because the light is encouraging. The light helps us to have more faith in our master (God) as Misty has with me. And then when the darkness closes in, suddenly it's so much harder to trust the person who had been helping us get by safely in the light. For some reason when it gets dark and scary, taking the next step blindly is harder than when it's "light".

[[By light I mean having some sort of ability to see where you're going, even with your spiritual cataracts, rather than not being able to see at all when things becomes dark.]]

But here's my question: Shouldn't we be trusting God MORE when the darkness is closing in rather than the other way around? Didn't God already "prove" to us or show us that He is faithful and trustworthy a bazillion other times in our life? So why is it SO hard to trust God and to have faith when everything is dark and scary? When it counts the most, and when all we can do is trust God, why is it just so hard to let go and accept that we cannot see? It's so much easier to trust Him when it comes to things like school...but when it comes to where I'm going to live, who I'm going to marry or where I'm going to get my masters, why is it so hard to trust God?

My answer to this is that if you have to be able to see where you're going in order to trust God, then that's not really trust or faith. As humans, we struggle with letting things go completely and walking blindly. It's our nature to feel as if we have to see something in order to trust in it. Why? Because it provides us with a sense of control. But if you have to be able to know at least a little bit of where you're going...where is your faith in God?

Misty walks better with me in the light because there is more light being allowed to enter into her eyes, allowing for her vision (although clouded in cataracts) to be better than when the sun begins to set which is when she hesitates, because she cannot see. She walks slower to be sure that where she places her foot next is on firm ground. And as I watch her I can hear God saying this to me:

"Come on, Kerry. Trust ME! Don't trust yourself. TRUST ME! *God holds my hand tighter and shows me that he's holding my hand* I've got you. Just follow me and it'll be alright. You don't have anything to worry about. Really, I promise! My dear child, just have faith in me. I know things are uncertain, and taking those steps forward are scary... But I will never leave your side. With Me walking with you, there is absolutely NOTHING to be afraid of! Now take a deep breath and let's keep going."

So as I hear God whispering this into my ear, I now ask myself: "Why can't I just walk forward even when it's dark and just have FAITH and TRUST in God that where I put my foot will be on firm ground? He's never let me down, and he promises that he won't. So, why am I hesitating each time He asks me to move forward? I know God will never lead me anywhere that is "bad"...and Misty believes the same thing when it comes to me. She is able to push forward on our walks. She has the faith and trust in me that enables her to keep going even when she cannot clearly see what's n front of her. So, just as Misty is with me, I realize I need to be with God. I need to keep on going forward and just hold on tight to my Father's hand, breathe and trust that He won't lead me astray as I follow Him and walk right by His side.

God challenged my faith and trust in Him tonight. He showed me once again that I don't have to see where I'm going in order to take a blind step or leap of faith. It's guaranteed that He'll never let me down and He'll never let me fall. God promises good things and even when things are scary, He promises to take care of us.

What is God asking you to do today? Let Him take you by the hand and lead you to places unknown. His plans are so much better than you could ever imagine!

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" -1 John 4:16b-18

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” -Deuteronomy 31:6

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" -Joshua 1:9

"The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident" -Psalm 27:1-3

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you" -Isaiah 41:13

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" -Isaiah 41:10

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline" -1 Timothy 1:7

"For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say: 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" -Hebrews 13:5-6

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love" -1 John 4:18

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" -Jeremiah 29:11

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight" -Proverbs 3:5-6

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them" -Romans 8:28