Amazing, Miraculous Grace. Luke 23:13.

Posted bySteven WalesPosted inBe the Older Brother--Obedience simply makes more sense, GRACE, Karma--you reap what you sow, NOW is the Day of Salvation--the Thief on the Cross Was Saved but he had no TIMETags:, , , , , ,

Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son? Is it better to be the mostly obedient older brother, or the completely selfish younger brother?

Is it better to make good choices and need less grace, or to make bad choices, and experience a great deal of God’s grace? Or could we maybe argue that because of grace, both options are equal? Maybe the life of the obedient older brother is blessed because of a lifetime of good choices, and maybe the life of the disobedient younger brother is equally blessed because after all his bad choices, his father restored him through grace?

Some say ‘The Best Testimony is No Testimony,’ meaning walking in obedience all along and thus having no salacious sins to talk about is better than telling a scandalous story of God dramatically rescuing you from a life on the streets.

But the degree of your own sinfulness is not the issue. We all sin. A testimony is your report of God’s grace—and if you have confronted your own sin at all, then you have probably also discovered God’s amazing grace. And it really is amazing. Consider the older brother in the parable: he was selfish, proud, resentful, and unforgiving. He was a faithful son and a hard worker all his life. But he was also sinful. And if you are like him, God will bring your sin to your attention. When He does, and you repent and change your ways, you will be astounded by the depth of God’s grace.

His grace is not simply amazing. God’s grace is miraculous. There is no other word for it—when many of us look at our lives before and after, we can hardly believe God’s miraculous grace.

And I’m speaking for those whose sins appear to be “small” and sort of “normal”—(though there is nothing normal about sin. It is common. Sin is incredibly common, but let’s not consider it normal).

My point is, even the most obedient among us are often amazed at the way God’s grace restores us in spite of our sins and failures.

In contrast to the older brother, there is the younger brother who “squandered his inheritance with riotous living” Luke 5:13. In other words, he blew it. He took everything he owned in the world or ever WOULD own and wasted it. But the father loved him and restored him. And we KNOW the younger brother considers grace to be amazing.

Grace really is amazing. And you know why? Because grace so completely exceeds our own abilities, that God receives all the glory.

Does that make sense? Whether God is restoring you from being a math flunky by helping you make grades you could never have dreamed of, or whether God is restoring you from a life as a paid hitman, His grace is simply breath-taking. It will take your breath away! It will blow your mind. And you will KNOW it is all Him, because He will forgive you, cleanse you, change you, and use you in ways you could never imagined—and that causes Him to get the glory.

God’s grace is amazing because amazing grace glorifies God.

But back to that original question. Is it better to be the mostly obedient older brother or the hard-partying younger brother who finally repents? Remember—God’s grace is miraculous, so He can do amazing things with very little.

But I have to encourage you to make better choices–be the older brother. In spite of grace, the younger brother will suffer some of the consequences of hard living, while the older will suffer the consequences of “hard thoughts.”

The older brother’s path will be much easier and more peaceful. His life is closer to the wholeness of true integrity.

And there is another issue: TIME.  Consider the thief on the cross. After a lifetime of burglary and robbery, he gave his life to Jesus. Jesus said, “Today you will be with Me in paradise” Luke 23:43. He is going to heaven TODAY. That does not leave a lot of time for storing up treasure in heaven. That does not leave a lot of time for bearing fruit for the kingdom. When a person gets saved, he wants to serve the Lord. How can the thief serve? He is literally nailed down. He can’t do anything.

If you are living a good, clean life, if for you, ‘the best testimony is no testimony,’ then rejoice and thank God for His amazing grace. If you identify more with the prodigal son, you too can rejoice and thank God for His amazing grace.

And finally, if you are the prodigal who is still on the run, remember TIME. God’s grace is amazing. He can bless you, restore you, and redeem you. He can forgive you and give your life purpose. But He will not turn back the clock.

What are your goals? Will you do well in college while partying like a sailor in a foreign port? Can you be a good parent while you are running from God? Will you blow your best chance at love because you are living for yourself?

God’s grace is amazing, miraculous even. But He will not turn back the clock. The time to repent is now. “Behold now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation” 2 Corinthians 6:2.

ΑΩ

P.S.–the picture above of Korn’s Brian Head Welch is associated with his video testimony available online in an IAMSECOND video. https://www.iamsecond.com/film/brian-welch/

Published by Steven Wales

Dad's Daily Devotional began as text messages to my family. I wanted my teenagers to know their father was reading the Bible. But they were at school by then. Initially, I sent them a favorite verse or an insight based on what I read each day. That grew into drafting a devotional readng which I would send them via text. I work as an attorney and an adjunct professor, and recently wrote a book called HOW TO MAKE A'S.

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