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Key Scripture:
Power Point:
What
I love knowing about Jesus is that He gets down to where I've been tossed on
the ground and He speaks words of admonition, love and grace, and comfort. His kindness flows over the wounds of
unkindness and heals them. His grace and
mercy put me back on my feet, and back into life, arm in arm with Him.
Do
you remember when Jesus looked Peter in the eye and told him that Satan would
be trying to tempt him? Then, after
Peter had betrayed Jesus, Jesus looks Peter in the eye, again. Without a word
being spoken, Peter is convicted. He
knows the magnitude of his betrayal.
This was his friend, and this was the Son of God. How wonderful it must have been when after
the resurrection, Jesus makes sure that Peter knows he is welcome, and wanted. "And be sure to tell Peter to come."
That's what Jesus always did. That's what Jesus always does. He accepts us, and admonishes us with the
most extraordinary grace. And then it’s
over; really, really over. He won't mention it again. He's the loudest
cheerleader on the side-lines of your life urging you to run your race-and help
you to win it. He jumps into the race with you and laughs and says, "Come
ON, _________, you can do this! We've
got this!" I'm in it with you. And
I never lose. LET'S RUN!"
Do
you remember the sack races where you stood side by side with a friend and each
of you put a leg into a burlap sack? You
had to learn to run together in order to win. You couldn't run on the strength
of your own legs, you had to develop a trust and a rhythm to run together to
win the race. That's what Jesus does
with us. He is stronger, but He wants to develop a rhythm with you so that you
can run just as He does. And win.
From
the side-lines you can hear all the clouds of witnesses cheering you on. Those witnesses have experienced exactly what
you have experienced. They've failed. They've sinned. They’ve
fallen from grace, but Jesus got back in the race with them too. That's why they're cheering so loudly. They KNOW from personal experience how Jesus
does things. That's the real cause for celebration isn't it?
He
does not condemn you. It's not His
nature. He simply says, "Go and sin
no more." Get back into your
rhythm with the King of kings.
Run
past your accusers. They seem very
unimportant compared to Jesus, don't they?
Run past your sin. Looking at it
now, through Jesus's eyes, it only makes you love Him more as you realize how
He has dealt with it. You still have hope. You still feel loved. In fact, if you asked Him today about the
sins you committed yesterday, He would say, 'Huh? I don't remember." Maybe that's one
reason He's full of joy all the time.
He loves setting people free. That's what Jesus does.
Jesus is full of grace and mercy.
You can't upset Him or keep Him from accomplishing His purposes in
you. He knows that when you finally give
up on your own self-efforts at righteousness, you'll come to Him and be
transformed by his grace and mercy. Beloved, you'll be astonished at the party
He throws for you.
Power Thought:
Jesus has
always planned a flourishing finish for you. That's just what Jesus does. Philippians 1:6
Copyright
© 2014, Suzanne Roberts, Unpublished Work
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