Click and Read!
Psalm 85:10-13
John 1:14-18
Romans 5:12-21
On the western coast of the state of Washington, there’s a strip of land called “Washaway Beach.” It’s named simply because of the fact that its ground is entirely composed of sand that continuously erodes and eventually washes everything on its shore into the sea.
Despite the solidarity of homes built here, their final destination will one day be the Pacific Ocean because their foundation is literally nothing but sand.
Just as awful, is the all too true reality of a poorly built home, being wiped out by horrific winds, despite its rock solid foundation.
If both home and land are not equally solid, life is swept away.
In much the same way, true fullness and abundance in our own lives cannot be found without the mutuality of both truth and grace.
All grace and we get carried away by deadly sin, leaving a shipwrecked life.
Only hard-hitting truth, and our lives become dull and meaningless with the impossible standards of legalism.
For me, it was the bounds of legalism that blinded me to grace and kept me from experiencing fullness. I had experienced deep emotional and verbal abuse as a child. Giving me wounds that bled profusely into my adult life and my marriage relationship (and every other relationship).
I held everyone at arm’s length and protected myself with a vast array of weaponry like strict rules, heavy judgment, arrogance, and pride. My definition of love and relationships was built upon the lie that love was earned by my performance.
Love looked angry.
Love could not be trusted.
Love shouted.
Love hurt.
Love was earned by good actions
……and lost through poor ones.
My foundation was poorly constructed and eventually fell apart just like those houses on Washaway Beach, leaving me ruined.
Through a painful and arduous journey, I began to tear down those lies I had based everything on and began to look for new building material.
I needed truth. Desperately.
I simply couldn’t afford any more lies.
I was bankrupt emotionally, spiritually, relationally, and even physically.
Through the process of rebuilding, my husband walked beside me, faithfully showing me love. True, gritty, down-in-the-dirt love. Not perfectly, but beautifully enough that one summer day as I sat on the front porch with him in a glorious sunset watching our children play, I suddenly turned to him and astounded even myself as I said, “I think you actually love me.”
He laughed and shook his head like I had been in a deep sleep and was just now coming around. Of course, he loved me.
Except his love was like God’s.
His love reflected Jesus’ heart.
His love was sacrificial.
His love poured out grace.
He showed me that love was patient, kind, gentle, generous,
and wasn’t the least bit based upon what I did or didn’t do.
His was a love that freed me to love him better.
But in order to live in that freedom of grace, I first needed truth.
Truth about who God really was,
A Father who passionately loved and pursued me, desiring a restored relationship.
Truth about me,
A mess without Him.
Truth about what I had been believing,
A twisted set of lies that didn’t reflect God or His character.
Those truths set me free to dance in the grace that abounded from it as I began to re-build, holding on tightly to both truth and grace.
From truth
to grace
to flourishing
in a fullness that pulls me ever deeper into seeking truth.
It’s a cycle that blossoms,
it’s a foundation that’s solid,
it’s the gospel of Jesus Christ,
held out freely, full of truth and grace in the abounding love of a Father pursuing a relationship with each of us.
Just like a house and its foundation.
Both must be solid to work.
Grace without truth is nothing, truth without grace is nothing, only both together can bring the abundant fullness God longs to give each of us.
Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold on your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Fullness! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!
[…] Looking for yesterday’s Journey Post? Check out Truth & Grace […]
Grace………….it’s so amazing! I enjoyed reading this tonight! As a Christian, you hear a lot about the “grace of God” but until you know He is the truth, He will not fail you, and you step out boldly in faith, it is then you will know what it feels like to receive grace! It is wonderful, and more than just a feeling. I remember clearly when I gave my life to the Lord, surrendering and putting everything in his hands. I knew what I was doing, trying to fix everything and handle it on my own, was breaking His heart.… Read more »
“Once you know God loves YOU, things change, you flourish, and you discover the value and the purpose.”
I love how you said this!
This mornings reading really hit home with me…not in how I was raised but in how I show love to my kiddos. Am I showing them the love that Christ shows us so they can truly understand and know Christ or does my frustration and impatience come out more than it should…Lord help me to show them your amazing grace and truth each day!