Faithfully Yours - It's all about grace
- Details
- Published on Saturday, March 28, 2015
By Neil Strohschein
It鈥檚 happened several times in the past 2-3 weeks; sometimes by phone, sometimes in person. Someone pulls me aside and says: 鈥淣eil, have you heard about鈥︹�� What follows is some news about a tragic event that has happened in the life of someone I know.
Now don鈥檛 get the wrong impression here. Those who contact me aren鈥檛 gossips. They aren鈥檛 spreading rumors. They aren鈥檛 violating people鈥檚 confidences by sharing this news with me.
The news I get is usually about a member of a family in one of my churches, a member of my own family or a close friend. Some have suffered serious injury. Some have died suddenly. Some have been diagnosed with serious illness. All are facing the harshest challenges they and their families have ever faced. Some are older than me; some are my age; far too many are younger.
Some of the stories I hear are quite shocking. Some are causes for concern. All reveal needs that I address in my times of private prayer and reflection. Every story has had an impact on my life.
These days, I find myself counting my blessings far more than I count my bumps and bruises. I fully agree with the words St. Paul wrote to his friends in the Greek city of Corinth. 鈥淏y the grace of God,鈥� he wrote, 鈥淚 am what I am.鈥� (1 Corinthians 15:10) His story is also my story.
Paul鈥檚 suffered much for his faith鈥攈e was imprisoned, beaten, stoned and shipwrecked. He was always in danger from robbers, gangs and religious authorities who wanted him silenced. But none of their efforts succeeded. He enjoyed a long life and a fruitful ministry that took him from Jerusalem to Rome; where after a lengthy imprisonment, he was put to death.
If we could ask Paul to summarize his teachings, he night say something like this: 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about grace鈥擥od鈥檚 grace鈥攆avor that we do not deserve鈥攆avor that is given to us thanks to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.鈥�
Paul experienced that 鈥渦ndeserved favor鈥� in three ways.
First, his sins were forgiven. 鈥淏y grace you have been saved鈥︹�� (Ephesians 2:8) Every sin he had committed (and he was guilty of some big ones) was erased from God鈥檚 records in heaven. From the moment of his conversion onward, Paul was treated just as if he had never sinned.
Second, the opportunity to start over. If he was alive today and wanted to attend Seminary with the goal of becoming a priest or minister, Paul would have a hard time finding a school that would accept him and an even harder time finding a church that would hire him. But less than three years from the date of his conversion, Paul was preaching the message he had tried so hard to suppress and destroy. God gave him a second chance; and he made the best of it.
Third, the strength to cope with hardships. In the midst of excruciating bouts of pain that got more intense as he got older, Paul was told: 鈥淢y grace is sufficient for you鈥y power is made perfect in weakness.鈥� (2 Corinthians 12:9) From the moment he heard these words, Paul knew that he could survive and thrive in the face of life鈥檚 harshest trials because God would give him the physical, mental and emotional strength he needed to cope with them.
These gifts weren鈥檛 for Paul alone. They are yours and mine as well. They are ours thanks to God鈥檚 amazing grace. Let us receive them today with gratitude and joy.
