Messy Grace
Luke 2:7 She gave birth to her first son. She wrapped him up well and laid him in a box where cattle are fed. She put him there because the guest room was full.
And here we are yet again. We’ve turned the corner and it’s the week leading up to Christmas – a hectic time for some, and for others, a lonely time. I wonder what’s on your mind as you contemplate Christmas.
As I was praying the other morning, I was thanking God that before time began He chose me to be a beneficiary of His grace. As I looked back on my life, I realised yet again that I’m so not worthy of that. But then, that’s the whole point. God’s grace is free and unmerited, all because He sent Jesus into this world.
I’d rebelled against God. I’d broken all the rules. But as someone once said, “grace colours outside the lines of religion”. A huge amen to that! God’s grace reaches into our messy world, our messy lives, without regard for “the rules”. And this … this is where it all began, this story of messy grace:
Luke 2:7 She gave birth to her first son. She wrapped him up well and laid him in a box where cattle are fed. She put him there because the guest room was full.
Not in a palace, but in a stable. Not in a bed, but in a manger, a box where cattle were fed. Have you ever been around cattle? They smell. They make a mess. Their saliva oozes out onto the box and the hay as they feed.
The birth of Jesus our Saviour wasn’t a clean, clinical affair. It wasn’t tidy and organised. It wasn’t a befitting entry into this world for the King of kings and the Lord of lords, the creator of heaven and earth. No, it was messy. But then, grace always is. Jesus.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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John Banera
It’s my prayer that my messy life is put to order by that messy GRACE!!!
AMEN!!!
It’s my prayer that my messy life is put to order by that messy GRACE!!!
AMEN!!!