Podcast Episode 168 - Growing Closer to God pt 3 - Rest in Father’s Grace
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What do you do when you make a mistake? Do you run to God or run away and hide?
Do you see God as the Sovereign in the sky waiting to swat you with His Heavenly flyswatter when you need to learn a lesson?
Do you struggle with feeling shame when you’re in church or praying? Or does that shame keep you from praying?
It’s time for part 3, Growing Closer to God. Yesterday we talked about Father’s love and learning to rest in it, knowing you’re loved for who you are just as you are. Today, I want to share secret #2 to Growing Closer to God.
So today is for you if…
• If you’re tired of carrying around a backpack full of shame.
• If you’re ready to embrace God’s best in your life.
• If you desire to grow closer to God this year than ever.
Secret 2: Rest in Father’s Grace.
I’m not sure what God looked like to you growing up. Some people have an image of God on His giant thrown in Heaven with a fly swatter ready to smack you when you make a mistake.
In episode 166, I talked about the lens we use to see God will shape our experience of God.
• See Him as a punishing God; you’ll struggle to get close
• See Him as a performance God; you’ll never feel like you’re enough
• See Him as a strict God; you’ll strive to be perfect
I saw him as a performance God and never rested because I had to do the right things to be in right-standing with Him. I ran away and hid when I made a mistake. I put up a wall to hide that part of me from God, which kept me from the intimacy I desperately was craving.
But that’s not who Father is…Remember, God is love. He doesn’t just have love; He IS love.
One of the ways Father shows us love is through grace.
The definition I hear most often in church is grace is God’s undeserved favor. Usually emphasizing the undeserving part, which only makes me feel more shame…LOL.
I believe grace goes much deeper than that.
Grace in the Bible means freely extending favor. In Greek, which is the language the New Testament was written in, grace literally means He’s leaning towards you to share His benefits.
Father is leaning toward you to give you His best offer.
Father’s leaning towards you to give you favor with your family, friends, co-workers or clients.
Father’s leaning towards you to expand your dreams and share new ideas with you.
Father’s leaning towards you to help you overcome any obstacle in your path to fulfilling your purpose.
Father’s also leaning towards you to pick you up when you fall, lovingly brush you off and STILL give you His incredible benefits!
Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
It’s not about what you get right; it’s about what God did right through Jesus.
He’s continually leaning towards you to share His benefits with you.
How can we be confident that God is for us? Is His grace enough even when we make mistakes and fall…again and again, and is still leaning towards us to share His benefits?
1 John 4:17 Mirror Study Bible
So now, with us awakening to our full inclusion in this love union, everything is perfect! Its completeness is not compromised in contradiction. Our confident conversation echoes this fellowship even in the face of crisis; because, as he is, so are we in this world - our lives are mirrored in him. We are as blameless in this life as Jesus is! This perfect love union is the source of our confidence whenever we face the scrutiny of contradiction.
But what about the ten commandments?
It’s not about fulfilling the law because Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5 that He came to fulfill the law.
1 Corinthians 10:23 NASB
All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up.
That doesn’t mean we go out and raise hell on purpose. As we grow closer to God, we naturally want to do the best things.
Now, it’s not just enough to know about Father’s Grace.
You must receive His Grace. It’s a gift, just like salvation.
What do you do when you get a gift at Christmas or a birthday? Do you say, “No thanks, I’m good,” or do you take the gift and say, “Thank you”?
You rest in Father’s Grace by accepting the gift and saying, “Thank you Father for your Grace in this situation,” then share the situation with Him.
Rest and receive Father’s grace knowing you’re fully loved just as you are.
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