Grace Upon Grace
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John 1:14-17
14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. 15. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of whom I said, `He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me.'") 16. And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. 17. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 2:1-6
1. First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men, 2. for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way. 3. This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4. who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6. who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time.
This morning I am having trouble getting Bernard Kerik out of my mind, because of a comment I heard on the news as I was coming downstairs to start my day. “A disgruntled former employee is blamed for Kerik’s troubles relating to his nomination.” I don’t mean to single him out, but I felt particularly disappointed and saddened as more and more revelations came forth of impropriety and potential illegal activities he has participated in at various points in his life. And I believe he is probably one of the most talented and knowledgeable individuals in the field of security and would have been an ideal choice for Homeland Security Chief. But . . .
So what does that have to do with these scripture selections? It is this: I would have been willing to consider Kerik as an appropriate selection for the position under the proper circumstances. Namely, if he had come clean. If he had said that in his past he had made some unfortunate choices; he had dealt with unsavory characters; he had done whatever he needed to do to “get the job done.” If he would have said he now sees the error of his ways, I could have lived with that! But he didn’t. Nor do many of the iconic figures in our society today. They don’t accept responsibility for their actions. They blame the people who exposed them! Perhaps those motives were not pure either, but that’s a topic for another day!
Through Jesus Christ, we are already forgiven for our misdeeds, criminal acts, and poor choices—in other words: sin. But to receive the grace upon grace to which John refers, repentance is required. We must first recognize and acknowledge that we have sinned, then ask forgiveness, then really repent—change our minds and our hearts—seek the grace and truth that came through Jesus Christ.
This country needs to be in prayer—serious, unrelenting, urgent and ardent prayer. We are in a spiritual and moral crisis! I’m not talking about abortion or homosexuality or any of the other “fake moral issues” that are meant to distract us for the real issues. There are very few leaders in our country today who possess strong moral fiber and the courage to speak the truth, act in faith, and live as Jesus has instructed us to live—more, he begged us, beseeched us! He so desperately wants us to choose Him—to choose eternal life with Him and His father in heaven.
He served as the mediator for our sins. He already paid the price. But he can’t erase our sins if we don’t acknowledge them. These politicians and corporate executives who commit crimes, pay off anybody who threatens their career, have affairs, even commit murder and get away with it do not represent the best and brightest this country has to offer! We need to pray for guidance and for wisdom to elect godly leaders. We are as much to blame as those acting inappropriately, because we allow them to blame someone else for exposing them—and don’t demand, as Christians, that they “come clean” and repent.
OK. I’m really on a soap box this morning. But I have two teenaged children and I have a huge issue with those who are supposed to be role models and representatives of my family, acting counter to everything I’ve ever taught my children!
I hope today you’ll join me in prayer, begging God to give us wisdom, insight and courage to stand up to a world that falls far short of the world Christ came to bring about at the end of time. And that you’ll thank Him for giving us yet another day to repent and turn to him for our truth. He is the source of everything good and right in our lives. God’s grace to each of us today.
Mary
