I’ve been listening to Tim Keller‘s sermons on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
One of the common theme that pops up is the idea of grace.
I don’t want to dig in too much right now as I am considering to do a series of posts on this parable and looking at diff characters and themes.
Though the idea of grace is as simple as, well God did something for you without you require to do anything.
Yet the idea only start to dig in when I reflected against the struggles (sins) of my life. These struggles are often painful. And reflect on those painful moments where I have wronged God. Abandon Him. Run walked away. Yet God’s Grace does not stop and keep on coming.
How wonderful and beautiful is that. His Grace free me from myself.
Where I use to condemn myself for my own actions,
I am free by His Grace.
Where my faulty actions destroy my self esteem,
I am free by His Grace.
Where I was enslaved by own emotions (anger, hate, bitterness, jealous, vengeance, self righteousness [disguise as ‘justice’]) and expectation from myself and others,
I am free by His Grace.
When I think I have to do this or that (go to church, pray, read the Bible, go to fellowship etc.) to be consider as a ‘good’ Christian,
I am free by His Grace.
And so I am here soaking at this thought. Not just in the head. Also in the heart. In awe by how great God is….not only does He goes after the unrighteous but also the ‘righteous’ ones.
Tim considered God as a Prodigal God because how God lavishly give Grace to the undeserve. I think God is a reckless God. Though the word, ‘reckless’ can be a negative connotation (just as Tim thinks prodigal is a negative connotation).
God is reckless because He goes all out to grab hold of the lost. He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t hold back. He goes 100% and plus more. He even give up His Only Son!!!
And I am just have this great joy to see just the glimpse of what Grace is.
And I am a Christian. Because even though my own actions I mess things up and cannot fix, Christ took care of everything on the Cross so I can not only be made right but to clothe in His riches Majesty as His co-heir and welcomed into His Kingdom.
Grace.
