Leadership Thought: That's Grace, Amazing Grace

Dear Friends

The Christian life is a story about grace, amazing grace.

Our brother, Peter, in the final words, he ever pinned, exhorts us to "Grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior (2 Peter 3:18).

He doesn't tell us to grow in holiness or discipline or theological knowledge or zeal. But he says, "Grow in Grace." 

Why? "Because grace is not the starting point, but grace is the only point." John Courson, New Testament Life Application Bible.

In his last words to the church Paul said, "Grace be with you" (2 Timothy 4:22).

And in the last words in our Bible, we find grace having the final word: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with all the saints" (Rev 22:21).

Yes, it is grace that has saved us. "For by grace you have been saved, and it is not  of yourself (of your own doing). It is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast" (Eph 2:8-9).

Again and again Peter failed Jesus and again and again Jesus forgave him and gave him another chance. It was our Lord's forgiving grace that transformed Peter and gave him a new rock-solid identity.

The Christin life starts and ends with grace, and no one knew that any better than our brother Peter. 

We read, "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all Grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, established, and strengthen you" (1 Peter 5:10-11)

What a wonderful promise. It should be no surprise that it comes from the pen of our brother Peter who probably knew more about grace than any of the disciples.

"Lord, though all others forsake you, I never will," he declared cocksure of himself. 

"Before the cock crows twice, you'll deny me three times" Jesus answered  (Mark 14:72).

"I'm going to Jerusalem, where I will be crucified," Jesus said. "Not so,” argued Peter. 

"Get thee behind me, Satan," Jesus replied ( Matthew 16 23

The fact that Jesus loves me just as I am and that there is nothing I can do to outrun His outstretched arms of love, should be enough for anyone to want to fall down and worship Him.

One of the greatest illustrations of grace I know comes from the writing of the late  Donald Barnhouse who tells about a man named Harry Morehouse, who was a pastor.

One time Harry Morehouse was walking down the street in a poor section of the city where he served, and a little boy came out of a store with a pitcher of milk, and the little boy dropped the pitcher, and it shattered into pieces. 

Immediately, the little boy began to cry, and he wailed and cried so much that the pastor turned and went over and knelt down beside the boy and said, "Son, what in the world! Nothing could be that bad. Why are you crying?" and the boy replied, "Because my Mommy is going to whip me when I get home." 

And Harry Morehouse said, "Well, son, let's see if we can put it back together." 

So, the pastor and the little boy knelt down on the street corner and began to piece together the glass pitcher. But every time one of the pieces would fall out, the little boy would start crying again, and the pastor would say, "Now son, wait a minute. Let's stay with it."

And they got it all together, except the handle. The pastor  gently tried to fit the handle onto the pitcher, and it fell to pieces. 

Then there was no stopping the tears, and cries that his mommy was going to whip him. 

So, Harry Morehouse picked up the little boy, took him back to the store, bought the best pitcher they could find, then carried the little boy and the pitcher to a dairy store and had the pitcher filled with milk.

Then he carried the little boy and the pitcher of milk to the little boy's house and put him down on his own doorstep, and said, "Now, son, is your Mommy going to whip you?"

And the boy said, "No, sir, because we got more milk, and a better pitcher than we had before."

Let me tell you something. When the milk of your life is spilt; it will happen. When the pitcher in which you hold it is broken to pieces, you can try to put it back together again with your own efforts. and you even ask God to help you,  you're going to bomb. 

But he wants to give you a new pitcher, to fill it with fresh milk, and then to carry you home with it all. 

Now that Grace, Amazing Grace. Story taken from a sermon by Steve Brown.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom