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“I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different,” Romans 7:22-25.
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“I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different,” Romans 7:22-25.
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Tad sat sulking in time out. He had just gotten into trouble for the third time that day for using potty words (most notably calling his brother poo-poo head). Frustration and sadness weighed heavily on his four year old frame.
“Momma I try not to say those words, but they just come right outta me. I don’t know what to do,” he uttered in defeat.
“Yeah, once that yucky stuff gets in our head it just wants to come right out. That is really frustrating. You know you are not alone in feeling like that. I feel that way sometimes too. So did Paul and he even recorded it down in the Bible to help us when we feel that way. He said, ‘I don’t know why I do what I don’t wanna do and don’t do what I wanna do.’
“Do you ever feel like Paul, frustrated by the bad stuff you do?” I asked.
“Yes…and I think I can’t tell God I’m sorry again, I just can’t,” he said crying.
“Oh Tad, the Bible says when we ask forgiveness God is faithful to forgive. We can always trust God to do what He says He's gonna do. God throws those sins way, way further than the eye can see. Jesus' dying on the cross opened up forgiveness for every single sin, for every single person, every single time," I tried to console.
“Yeah, but so many times and what if I do it again,” he asked skeptically.
“Is it hard for you to forgive someone when they keep wronging you over and over again? I know it is for me,” I said.
“Yes, especially when Will and Wyatt keep knocking over my towers,” he admitted.
“So do you think it’s gonna be hard for God to forgive you over and over again?”
“Yes,” he admitted with obvious trepidation.
“Well, that’s where God’s grace comes in. It is really hard for us people to forgive each other for things over and over again. But God’s forgiveness is not like that. Grace is a present from God that makes all our wrongs right. God offers us grace as a present. God’s grace says: Your sin is gone! Each and every time. And God’s grace never falls short of taking care of whatever sin we bring to him. All the potty words are not just gone, but they are not counted against you any more.
You are worried that God can't forgive more potty words today, but the Bible says God's grace to forgive is way, way more than we could ever use. You could say 10,000 potty words a day and God's forgiveness would still be there," I said.
"WHAT! Be for real Momma, you gotta be kidding me! No way!" he said in total disbelief. His response to biblical grace is why I realized God calls us to become like little children to understand His kingdom.
"Yup, that's how great God's grace is. His forgiveness doesn't have any limits. It doesn't run out. Consequences and forgiveness are two different things. God has consequences, like time outs so we can learn right from wrong, but His grace to forgive is always there, every single time. When the Bible says God's grace is overflowing it's trying to show us that God isn't saving His grace, He's wasting it all over the place on us. His grace just won't ever run out.
Imagine you asked me for a piece of peanut butter pie. God's grace is like you asking for one piece of pie and I give you 100 whole pies instead. Can you possibly eat 100 pies? Can you even eat one pie? That's way more pie than you could come close to eating, wasteful, huh! That's how God's grace and forgiveness are, way more than you could ever use up.”
I watched relief flood over Tad's little body, then be replaced with joy. He understood God's amazing grace and was one step closer to the Jesus he loved. More recently our talks have turned to grace again. I wanted the boys to see the extravagant wastefulness of God’s amazing grace. I told them how the Bible uses words like lavish and overflowing to describe God’s grace, then provided a visual. I told them to pour milk into the cup and not stop until I said so. Their response was to stop before the milk spilled because they know I hate waste. I urged them to keep going. As they watched the milk go down the drain they said, ‘Momma stop! You’re wasting the milk!’ Exactly! God’s grace is wasteful, way too much, extravagant, more than meets the need and overflowing!”
“Yeah, once that yucky stuff gets in our head it just wants to come right out. That is really frustrating. You know you are not alone in feeling like that. I feel that way sometimes too. So did Paul and he even recorded it down in the Bible to help us when we feel that way. He said, ‘I don’t know why I do what I don’t wanna do and don’t do what I wanna do.’
“Do you ever feel like Paul, frustrated by the bad stuff you do?” I asked.
“Yes…and I think I can’t tell God I’m sorry again, I just can’t,” he said crying.
“Oh Tad, the Bible says when we ask forgiveness God is faithful to forgive. We can always trust God to do what He says He's gonna do. God throws those sins way, way further than the eye can see. Jesus' dying on the cross opened up forgiveness for every single sin, for every single person, every single time," I tried to console.
“Yeah, but so many times and what if I do it again,” he asked skeptically.
“Is it hard for you to forgive someone when they keep wronging you over and over again? I know it is for me,” I said.
“Yes, especially when Will and Wyatt keep knocking over my towers,” he admitted.
“So do you think it’s gonna be hard for God to forgive you over and over again?”
“Yes,” he admitted with obvious trepidation.
“Well, that’s where God’s grace comes in. It is really hard for us people to forgive each other for things over and over again. But God’s forgiveness is not like that. Grace is a present from God that makes all our wrongs right. God offers us grace as a present. God’s grace says: Your sin is gone! Each and every time. And God’s grace never falls short of taking care of whatever sin we bring to him. All the potty words are not just gone, but they are not counted against you any more.
You are worried that God can't forgive more potty words today, but the Bible says God's grace to forgive is way, way more than we could ever use. You could say 10,000 potty words a day and God's forgiveness would still be there," I said.
"WHAT! Be for real Momma, you gotta be kidding me! No way!" he said in total disbelief. His response to biblical grace is why I realized God calls us to become like little children to understand His kingdom.
"Yup, that's how great God's grace is. His forgiveness doesn't have any limits. It doesn't run out. Consequences and forgiveness are two different things. God has consequences, like time outs so we can learn right from wrong, but His grace to forgive is always there, every single time. When the Bible says God's grace is overflowing it's trying to show us that God isn't saving His grace, He's wasting it all over the place on us. His grace just won't ever run out.
Imagine you asked me for a piece of peanut butter pie. God's grace is like you asking for one piece of pie and I give you 100 whole pies instead. Can you possibly eat 100 pies? Can you even eat one pie? That's way more pie than you could come close to eating, wasteful, huh! That's how God's grace and forgiveness are, way more than you could ever use up.”
I watched relief flood over Tad's little body, then be replaced with joy. He understood God's amazing grace and was one step closer to the Jesus he loved. More recently our talks have turned to grace again. I wanted the boys to see the extravagant wastefulness of God’s amazing grace. I told them how the Bible uses words like lavish and overflowing to describe God’s grace, then provided a visual. I told them to pour milk into the cup and not stop until I said so. Their response was to stop before the milk spilled because they know I hate waste. I urged them to keep going. As they watched the milk go down the drain they said, ‘Momma stop! You’re wasting the milk!’ Exactly! God’s grace is wasteful, way too much, extravagant, more than meets the need and overflowing!”
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“What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise,” Romans 7:15.
“God put the wrong on Him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God,” 2 Cor. 5:21.
“Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, His blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people---free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!” Eph. 1:7.
“It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect Person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, He did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process….I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins,” Heb. 10:11-14.
“If we admit our sins---make a clean breast of them---He won’t let us down; He’ll be true to Himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing,” 1 John 1:9.
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“What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise,” Romans 7:15.
“God put the wrong on Him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God,” 2 Cor. 5:21.
“Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, His blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people---free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free!” Eph. 1:7.
“It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect Person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, He did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process….I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins,” Heb. 10:11-14.
“If we admit our sins---make a clean breast of them---He won’t let us down; He’ll be true to Himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing,” 1 John 1:9.
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