Grace on The Run

Do you remember when you first accepted God's grace, when you professed your faith in Him and were buried with Christ in baptism?  Do you remember that feeling of God's amazing grace pouring over you as you received it's chain-breaking, way-making freedom from sin and death?  Where is that feeling of grace now?

Do you sense that the grace of God is pursuing you daily or are you running after it, trying to recapture that moment of being set free; free from sin, free from worry, free from condemnation, free from the striving to do and be what is beyond your ability?  Are you looking back to that day, longing for that moment to return or are you looking forward to another grace-filled day?

What I mean to say is, do you live free knowing grace is always running toward you or are you fearfully chasing after a grace on the run?  Are you resting in God's grace or wresting with a self-constructed grace, which causes you to be constantly on the run, pursuing what is always just out of reach?  Am I making any sense here?

In the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), he was determined to return to the Father, confess his sins and then work to repay and continue paying for them so that his Father would be able to forgive him and continue to accept him as a repentant, sin-paying worker.

His Father, however, filled with love for his son that "was dead and now is alive," was not interested in him working off his debt or continually working to earn his favor.  His father ran to him and covered him with grace.  He gave him a new cloak, a new ring and a welcome home party.  There was no discussion of earning what the Father wished to give freely.

Did you know that He feels the same way about you?  Did you know that His grace is on the run, running toward you not away from you.  He is not waiting for you to become perfect so that you can receive His grace, he is wanting you to receive His grace so that you can be made perfect.

So, if you want to catch to with this grace on the run, stop running and it will catch up to you. You need to "be still and know that [He is] God (Psa 46:10) instead of trying to do what only God can do. Only God can save.

Jesus' disciples, hearing about the camel going through the eye of a needle statement asked, "Who then can be saved" (Matt 19:25) to which Jesus replied, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (v. 26).  Stop running.  Your effort will never be enough.  And, you can't catch what is chasing you.  You have to allow it to catch you.  Jus' Say'n.