Outrageous Grace

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 

Have you ever felt physically exhausted from a Spiritual battle? Has it ever seemed like you were fighting, even if you didn't know it at the time? Last night I crawled into bed. “What am I not getting?” I wondered. I know victory is there to claim. But I was tired of the struggle. All I wanted was to close my eyes and shut out the raging battle. But I couldn’t – it visited my dreams.

I awoke this morning with the same pounding headache - having slept but not rested. Everything screamed "This is not going to be a good day." I pulled a punajbi from the heap on my shelf and combed my hair. Standing in front of the mirror I lectured myself, “Ok Teresa, time to put a smile on your face, even if you don’t feel like wearing it. You know the truth, so just embrace it already and move on with life.”  Despite the convincing sermon and the desire to be strong I inwardly cried, “I can’t do it, Father!” 

His words pierced my heart: There is no condemnation. You have My favor. (back up and read that again because He is saying it to you too.)

I’m not writing this to tell you there was a battle and it was won. Nothing has really changed in the situations. And yet, everything about my day changed because it was no longer important how it went – my Father God was not going to condemn me. Not even once. I may condemn myself. Others may condemn me. But He would never.

Grace. It’s outrageous isn’t it? I can't wrap my mind around the truth. It doesn’t seem logical, right? We grow up with the belief that “what you earn is what you get". Grace is completely unearned.  

And those negative feelings, thoughts, and situations – well they’re just not who we are. They are not what is real. What is real is Whose we are. We belong to Him. He says there is no condemnation.

He says when our hearts condemn us He is greater than our hearts and knows all things. [1 John 3:20] 

He says His grace is enough [1 Cor. 12:9]. 

He says we are clean [John 15:3]. 

He says we are free [John 8:32]. 

He says He is not ashamed to call us family [Hebrews 2:11]. 

Read Romans 8:1 again. It’s His Word…what “the God who breathed stars” says to us: 

"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you."

*Sentence two of that verse is also incredible! If anyone wants to write about it I will gladly publish it! :) 

Despite what you've been told or have experienced you are not the sum total of your gifts and talents, your strengths and weaknesses, your victories and defeats. You are not your job. You are not your status, your inflated fantasies of greatness or lowest levels of self-hatred. You are not your roles as husband or wife, father or mother, son or daughter, boss of employee, sinner or saint. You are not your net worth in homes, assets, or possessions. Your net worth is in the invisible, inestimable, immeasurable love of God. These are the very words your heart has been longing to hear. You are my beloved. My delight. My chosen, loved, and accepted child. You are...the beloved of God" -  [The Longing by Joey O'Connor]