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Creating a Culture of Grace

Zacchaeus was lost, trying to find his identity in the accomplishments and power that being a tax collector gave him. But in Christ, he discovered he was a true son of Abraham. For so many years, Zacchaeus had heard the Jews say, “You’re no son of Abraham. You’re a traitor! You’re an outcast.” And then, Jesus declared, “Here’s Zacchaeus. Let me tell you about him. He’s a pure one. He’s a true son of Abraham.” Zacchaeus’ life was transformed in a moment.

Grace is being fully known and embraced by God. As long as we believe we must do a song and dance to be loved, we reject God’s grace and project our false beliefs onto others, perpetuating a climate of shame. A culture of grace begins with personal transformation. Once we experience truth and reassess our core beliefs, we are able to extend grace to others.

How can we experience grace and build a culture of grace around us? We can begin with three steps:

1. Allow yourself to be seen by God. For some of us, this is one of our greatest fears. We feel exposed in the worst way. We want to run. We struggle to pray. Yet God already knows it all. He’s more aware of our issues than we are. He’s seen the hurts we’ve caused and the hurts done to us, the way we’ve broken His heart, and the way others have broken ours. He knows and still chooses to embrace us.
2. Identify the lies. Only when we are vulnerable before God can we ask, “God, what lies do I believe?” God can reveal to us our false beliefs about our identity, value, and worth. This process can be very challenging and is often accomplished with a trusted friend or counselor.
3. Allow Christ to replace the lies with His truth. Accept His friendship. A friend is someone who knows everything about you but still wants to be with you because they like you. Friendship with God at this level leads to transformation and the experience of grace. As we walk, being fully known and loved by God, not only do our struggles have a way of falling off, but we begin to create a culture of grace everywhere we go.

This devotional was adapted from Safe: Creating a Culture of Grace in a Climate of Shame, by Nick Stumbo. For more information and additional resources, visit: Pure Desire Ministries International.