I’m not sure how you’d classify me, good or bad, but I’m sure I need a lot of grace.
Luke 6 43-45 43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Man! I hate it when I have to examine something that Jesus said that makes me squirm! You see, I really want it both ways. I’m not hankering for more cow bell; I’ve got a hankering for more gray area.
I don’t know truthfully if the fact that I’m a schmuck sometimes and a sinner other times means that even though I do good things sometimes too that those don’t matter. I want to think that those good things go onto the “good” side of the scale and redeem me. What it looks like here is that Jesus is telling me that I can’t redeem myself any more than you can get a new bike with S&H Green stamps anymore. (Yes, I know that REALLY dates me) If you want to know what those are go ask someone with grey hair.
Full disclosure here, I have been in the past and will be in the future, the thorniest brier you might ever have the displeasure of running into. But, on the other hand, I have been known to produce some really good fruit (not bragging, just saying) and I truly want to bring that sort of stuff through on a consistent basis. It’s just that I don’t and unfortunately just working from these three verses here, it looks like Jesus says I’m sunk. Except for this one thing that his dad gives me: grace.
You see Father and Son teamed up a long time ago and made a covenant. It was a pricey proposition to be sure but on a daily basis it turns abrasive, harmful plants into life giving trees. What grace does and what Jesus did was sacrifice for me who’s one day a fruit tree and the next day a pain in your neck into an accepted, approved, growing part of this earth.
I’d be lying if I said I had it all figured out how God does all this. I’m just glad that he does and that even with all my flaws and drawbacks every day I have the chance to store up more good in my heart so that one day that good can be made apparent. Thank God.
Are you able to accept each day, that God gets rid of the prickly stuff in your life? If you are, you’re better off than I am. How do you do it? What challenges your acceptance of his grace and why?