Becoming Like Jesus: Confession and RepentanceSample

The Truth of Grace

Yesterday, we talked about the lie of shame. Today, we’re talking about the truth of grace, which is so much bigger and better than our shame.

Keep reading for some good news!

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for your grace. You are so merciful and compassionate. Jesus, thank you for overcoming our sin and shame by taking it on yourself and dying the death I deserved. Holy Spirit, thank you for being a real, daily reminder of God’s grace in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT

Consider….

This Scripture is from Hebrews, the same letter we looked at yesterday to see how Jesus handled shame. In this passage, we learn how to receive grace. There’s three steps the author lays out for us:

1. Acknowledge that we need it.

Jesus is our High Priest. That means He is the mediator between us and God. And Jesus is the best person for that job because He understands what it’s like to be God and to be human. Jesus walked the earth as fully God and fully man. He knows what it’s like to be tested and tempted. He knows what it’s like to have a horrible day, to get angry, to be hurt by someone you thought you could trust. Even though Jesus experienced all of that, He never sinned. He never gave into temptation. He never failed to trust and obey the will of His Father. In every way that we mess up, Jesus didn’t. That should be really humbling. Step one to receiving grace from God is acknowledging that we need it because we’ve sinned. His kindness towards us in sending Jesus to live the life we couldn’t and die the death we deserved is the ultimate gift of grace—one that we are, by no means, entitled to. God didn’t have to die for you, but He wanted to. Let that sink in for a second.

2. Recognize that it’s based on who God is, not who we are.

God is gracious. Grace-giving is part of His character, and that’s really good news, because God’s character doesn’t change. What’s true about God, will always be true about God. When He describes what He’s like to the people of Israel in Exodus 34, He says He is a compassionate and gracious God. When Jesus came to the earth to save us and show us what God is like, He came full of grace and truth. And years later, the author of Hebrews reminds us that because God is gracious, we can approach Him with confidence. Our confidence doesn’t come from anything we’ve done, but from the fact that we can count on who He is.

3. Don’t try to earn it, ask for it.

So what do we do? We ask for mercy. And the beautiful thing is, the Bible tells us we will find it and so much more when we need it most.

Practice…

What step do you need to focus on today?

Maybe today you need to invite God to humble you so you can recognize your need for Him.

Maybe you need to remind yourself of the truth about who God is and the fact that His grace and mercy are not dependent on who you are.

Maybe there’s something that you have been afraid to bring to God because you aren’t sure if He can forgive you. Be encouraged today that there is no sin or shame that is bigger than God’s grace. Bring it to Him and experience the freedom He offers!

Listen…

Find a quiet place where you can continue to spend time with God. Maybe you have a favorite chair, a certain spot in your backyard, or a particularly cozy closet. Wherever you need to go to limit distractions, do it.

Set a timer for five minutes.

Ask God to speak to you.

When you get distracted in your mind, and you will, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, use it as an opportunity to come back to Jesus by praying this prayer:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. Psalm 139:23-24 NLT

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you spent together and go into your day looking for opportunities to love Him and love others.