The Readiness To Show Grace
BRD REFLECTIONS:
(Song Tao, YM Chairperson)
READ
The following verses from Titus 3 and Psalm 97 spoke to me:
Titus 3 (ESV):
v1-2: Remind them… to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle and to show perfect courtesy towards all people
v3: For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient… passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.
v5: he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
v7: ….so that being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Psalm 97 (ESV):
v10: O you who love the LORD, hate evil!
v11:….Light is sown for the righteous,
and joy for the upright heart,
OBSERVE:
Titus 3:1-2, and Psalm 97:10 provide clear instructions for Christian living and holiness. On most days, I will not find it difficult to live out these instructions. However, on days when I observe others behaving badly or feel wronged by the actions of another, it becomes much more difficult not to speak ill of anyone, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle and to show perfect courtesy (not just courtesy, but perfect courtesy!).
Yet, as I read on to Titus 3:4-5, I am pointed back to the Holy Spirit who sustains me. Titus 3:3 reminds me of my sinfulness, and challenges me to reconsider the basis on which I lash out at my adversary. For me, the evil that Psalm 97:10 asks me to hate is not only the injustice in the world but also the sinfulness of my own heart.
I am also reminded of the life I already have in the Lord. Titus 3:7 reminds me that I am already justified by God’s grace; Psalm 97:11 reminds me that there is joy for the upright heart.
APPLY:
As I reflect upon these passages, I am challenged to forgive and to be always ready to exemplify God’s love towards all people, indiscriminately.
I am challenged to wrestle with the condition of my own heart, to lean in, and to respond to the grace and mercy shown to me by Jesus’s death and resurrection.
DO:
I will persist in the reading of God’s Word, to be reminded of His goodness, and to delight in His presence.
I will continue to spend time in prayer daily, to respond to the grace and mercy that I’ve received and to surrender the imperfect situations in life to the Lord.
I will seek to be the peacemaker in fraught and strained situations, so that I may also do my small part in pointing those around me to the life that we can all have in Christ.
PRAY:
Lord God,
Thank you that you are Love. Though this world is sinful and broken, Lord in you there is joy, peace and forgiveness. Through your son Jesus, you have already poured out your grace and mercy on me. Lord, help me to respond in your love to those around me regardless of the circumstance, but especially when it is not easy, so that all may all catch a fuller glimpse of your glory, and worship you for who you are.
In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.
