Grasping for Grace

Yesterday I talked to our church about the subject of grace. It was a message about the nature and need of grace, and how God gives us grace in order to demonstrate his own goodness in our lives, and how we must receive that grace each day by faith in Jesus Christ. In the middle of all this, I mentioned the biblical example (of what not to do) of Esau. As most of us recall, Esau was the first-born son of Isaac and was to receive the birthright, or the blessing, from his father Isaac. However, in a moment of temptation, he gave into the moment and sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob. The story goes that “Afterward…(Esau) when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears.” I believe that this was the consequence of Esau missing the grace of God. It is not that Esau was bankrupt of God ever doing any good thing in his life for the remaining years; it is just that that moment was so profoundly negative that it never lost its effect upon not only his life, but those who became his descendants- the Edomites.

In the New Testament book of Hebrews, where this reflection is found, the encouragement is given prior to this: “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” This indicates that one of the things that might cause us to “miss” the grace of God is bitterness. This is one of the most powerful and sinful forces we know. We have all witnessed its destructive powers unleashed on people who have no idea they were even involved. We have certainly seen this in kids who become adults and eventually unleash their fury upon unsuspecting parents. We have seen this in employees who cave into the personal pressures of life and financial woes only to end up taking their anger out on their co-workers and/or boss in a fit of violence. Bitterness is an occasion to store up pockets of anger and hurt and selfishness until we have a more convenient occasion to unleash them. None of us are free from its grasp. We have all known family members who have struggled with this very thing, and we have all probably at one time or another given into its allure.

As I prepared for this message, as any message, I never prepare it with any particular person in mind. I try to be sensitive to where I am personally, and where the group is collectively to whom I am addressing. With this in mind, something happened yesterday after our worship gathering for which I could not have been less prepared. Sometimes people frustrate each of us beyond what is imaginable, and beyond what we feel we can take. In the aftermath of all of this, I began to reflect upon one of the things I had said, “We can never really say, as followers of Jesus Christ, that this is more than I can handle, because it’s not, or else we would not be experiencing it.” I began to feel that my own message was a message that I needed possibly more than anyone else. I found myself beginning to toboggan down the slippery slope of bitterness, and missing the grace of God in my life.

I began to be reminded that people suck, but so do I, and yet God is awesome to love me and them, and wants me to demonstrate his grace in how I react to the hardships and difficulties of life. Please pray for me during this time, as I seek “not to receive the grace of God in vain,”.