Nothing less than Scandalous

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2: 4-10

Grace. 

Forgiveness freely given, unmerited and sufficient. God’s love for us is immeasurable, the bible says His thoughts toward each of us is as countless as the sand on the seashore.

But grace doesn’t just apply to you. It doesn't just apply to the people you like. It is free and available to anyone.

That means it’s open to your enemies. That guy that bullies you? Yup, Christ died on the cross for him. That girl in class you who you can’t stand? Christ’s blood can make her new. The individual that abused you? Christ loves that person just as much as he loves you. Christ loves that person as much as he loves the people who tortured Him.

As Christ hung from a tree he asked that God forgive them, saying “they know not what they do.”

Wow. The power in those words. Forgive means to “stop feeling angry or resentful toward someone for an offense, flaw, or mistake.” Christ forgave the very people that murdered Him as He hung on a tree, nails driven into His hands and feet.

Who am I to hold a grudge against anyone? By forgiving someone we are not excusing what they did. But we are choosing to not let that poison of bitterness infect us anymore.

I’m not saying it’s easy. For a long time, I have wrestled with what it means to forgive in light of God’s grace.

There was a man who deeply injured someone very close to me. He faced the consequences for his actions, but that did nothing to provide closure or healing for us. I recently met with some mutual friends of that man, and the conversation we shared has stayed with me.

In the midst of the consequences this man has faced, he recognized God’s wake up call. Who knows if it’s genuine, that is not for me to decide. But he said he realized his wrong doing and yet God offers him love and forgiveness, without which he would not be alive.

At first, I was angry. But then, I remembered the story of the prodigal son. The father was overjoyed when his son returned, but the brother was angry and jealous. Instead of being the brother, I should be praising the fact that another soul has been saved.

I deserve Hell as much as that man. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I obviously don’t understand grace if I cannot see that I deserve death as much as that man.

The point is, we don’t deserve to escape punishment, to receive Heaven and eternal life with the One who created us. Salvation is not based on anything we can say or do, it is not based on who we are.

And so, my daily prayer has been for that man, and others, who have wounded those closest to me. It’s hard to hate someone when you spend time resting in the Father, interceding on behalf of that individual.

Who is your enemy? Who can you pray for, that God would capture their heart by any means necessary? That God would soften their heart, open their eyes, and would joyfully bring them into the fold of an everlasting family.