We all have a beef about something not going according to our way, our plan, or our set of beliefs. We all have rituals that were born out of how we were raised. Our customary way of thinking and believing becomes a religious habit. We get up on the same side of the bed, some days with a good attitude, and some days we struggle to accept that people differ in the ways they perceive what is right. Imagine a brilliant, gifted kid named Saul growing up in an affluent house with parents that were so proud of his mental capacity to learn and recite Scriptures. Now put yourself in Saul’s shoes when he goes home the first time after meeting Jesus, the Messiah. Was he embraced or rejected?

As Saul headed toward Damascus to torture those who followed Jesus, God struck him blind. After three days to contemplate his foolish ways, by the grace of God, the scales were lifted from his sight. He was forever changed into a poet named Paul. He then wrote, and wrote and wrote what God revealed.

“I hope you don’t mind hearing it again, so here goes! Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book. The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important (my degrees, education and how I dressed while rigidly keeping the law) are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by Him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.  I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally and experience His resurrection power.” Phil 3 The Message

“Partnering with Jesus in His suffering, and going all the way with Him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” Paul was in Rome chained to a guard as he wrote to his Greek audience in Philippi — Many were scholars, many were fishermen, but the Greeks never had attended Synogogue. Paul shared his before Christ story — not to impress them, but to annuciate that all he had worthy of boasting — was that he could suffer well and eventually die having served the resurrected Jesus the best he could, whether in chains or as a free man.

Max Lucado wrote in his book Anxious for Nothing:”Paul had blood on his hands and religious diplomas on his wall. But then came the Damascus road moment and Jesus appeared. Once Paul saw Jesus, he coud not see anything else. He no longer saw value in his resume. He could not see merit in his accomplishments or any worth in his good deeds. He could not see reasons to boast about anything he had ever done. Paul did not see any option except to spend the rest of his life talking LESS about himself and MORE about Jesus. He became the great poet of grace. “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.” Phil 3:7 NLT In exchange for self-salvation, God gave Paul righteousness. “I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.” Phil 3:9 NLT Paul gave his guilt to Jesus. Period. He did not numb it, hide it, deny it, offset it, or punish it. He simply surrendered all to Jesus….

On our journey, if we bumped into Paul, what would he have said? How would he encourage anyone who carried the burden of being perfect? “What would Paul say to a guilt-laden person? Simply this: “Rejoice in the Lord’s mercy. Trust in His ability to forgive. Abandon any attempt at self-salvation or justification. No more hiding behind fig leaves. Cast yourself upon the grace of Christ and Christ alone.” Max Lucado — Simultanesously, a wise saint, is constantly aware of the severity of sin and the immensity of God’s lavish grace. Happily we rest in His grace, knowing that sin is NOT diminished, nor is God’s ability to forgive it. The saint wisely dwells in grace, not guilt. The tranquil soul, aware when they stumble, we quickly confess, receive our Father’s forgiveness, and we run the race before us crossing the finish line by grace.

Again the Word is “Rejoice always!” We tend to get all bound up in our religious ways and beliefs about the appropriate songs for worship; how the wafer is made; women in the pulpit; Bible translations; how people dress; or if is right to lift our hands in worship, or to speak in tongues. We argue over silly things like IF miracles are still possible in this century? Each new baby born, each breath, each blossom, a new day full of His mercy — all by God’s grace, each a miracle. The question put before 7 women in Mexico this morning was “What is your source of confidence regarding your salvation?” Is it our church attendance record, or is it our relationship with Jesus Christ? Jesus is what we all have in common. The rest does not matter, it is all futility. Our Father says we will be known by how we love one another, and ourselves. Paul chose to dwell in grace, not guilt for upsetting his family, or for his past life of murder and imperfections. Therefore, we choose to love one another, differences and all. Knowing that our Father delights in our unity, we press on, moving in grace towards the prize which is to be resurrected in our glorified bodies — and on that promised DAY —- meet Jesus face to face.

Our Father is FAITHFUL to FORGIVE!

“I accept your prayer; yes, I have chosen this place as a temple for sacrifice, a house of worship. If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on My people, and My people, My God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking My presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 The Message

“This is the brand-new covenant that I will make with Israel when the time comes. I will put My law within them—write it on their hearts!—and be their God. And they will be My people. They will no longer go around setting up schools to teach each other about God. They’ll know Me firsthand, the dull and the bright, the smart and the slow. I’ll wipe the slate clean for each of them. I’ll forget they ever sinned!” God’s Decree.” Jeremiah 31:34 The Message

“If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—He won’t let us down; He’ll be true to Himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of Him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.” 1 John 1:9 The Message