Living Grace
- Mike Rydman
- Jan 31, 2009
Living Grace
There is a funny little story in Joshua Chapter 17 that speaks to me of God's grace. Joshua was the Commander of the forces of Israel, and it was their job to take possession of the land that God had promised them. Problem was, there were people already living in each of those territories, so the people of Israel had to move the current residents out before Israel could move in.
Previously, Moses had allotted to each of the twelve tribe of Israel specific territories to possess, each defined by specific borders. Moses had also set aside cities and pasturelands in each of the tribal lands for the Levites, including the descendants of Aaron the High Priest. The Levites were not given a specific territory of their own because God said He, Himself was their inheritance. The people of Israel, in spite of a couple of hiccups were successful in driving out almost all of the residents, and they then moved into cities and took over vineyards that had already been developed. The funny story in Joshua 17 comes to light when the people of the tribe of Joseph expressed to Joshua a complaint; their allotted territory wasn't big enough.
The Joseph tribe had been fertile, so they had a lot of kids. Their tribe's population had grown, and while they were settled in the lush lowlands they were also settled on top of each other. In responding to their complaints Joshua said, "If you are a numerous people, go up by yourselves to the forest, and there clear ground for yourselves in the land of the Perizzites and the Rephaim, since the hill country of Ephraim is too narrow for you." (Joshua 17:15)
The people responded to Joshua with, "The hill country is not enough for us. Yet all the Canaanites who dwell in the plain have chariots of iron, both those in Beth-shean and its villages and those in the Valley of Jezreel." (Joshua 17:16)
This is funny, and kind of sad. What the people of Joseph (who were the combined tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh) were saying was, "Taking the hill country requires too much work to be done by ourselves, and taking on the Canaanites in the extended valley will be scary; they have chariots and stuff!" In others words, "We want you to make it happen for us!"
Isn't this just how it is! Isn't this human nature! We don't naturally embrace hardships or challenges, whether it involves hard work, or whether it requires action in spite of our fears.
Joshua, being a kind but direct leader responded to the tribe of Joseph by saying, "You are a numerous people and have great power. You shall not have one allotment only, but the hill country shall be yours, for though it is a forest, you shall clear it and possess it to its farthest borders. For you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong." (Joshua 17:17-18)
This is brilliant leadership. Joshua first agrees with the people that they are many, and tells them that their numbers could produce a mighty fighting force. Second, he responds to their request for more land by giving them more land. And third, Joshua tells them to go and get it, and even gives them the confidence to do so by saying that they will be successful.
Isn't it funny how people want to be the recipients of God's grace, but don't necessarily want to step out in that grace if it requires hard work or fearful circumstances? This can so often be true of me, and with you. We error in understanding God's grace by going to one extreme or the other, and thus miss the point of God's grace altogether.
At one end of this spectrum is the error of assuming God's grace means we have no role; no action required. We don't do anything unless we "feel" the Spirit moving us to do so. If we don't feel it, we feel pretty good about not doing it. We have concluded that God's grace requires nothing in response. We justify not working hard or doing anything that requires courage. We can even be disobedient because God will forgive us anyway. This is called "cheap grace." We don't value it.
At the other extreme we think it all rests on us, so we try to do everything the Bible tells us to do, but under our own steam. We're pretty cool with the hard work and fearful circumstances bit. We think we have to do more and more to impress God and God's people, and usually end up disappointed that neither God nor His people are impressed. At this extreme we talk of God's grace, but we don't live like we believe in the grace of God at all. We act as if we are not forgiven, and our salvation is in daily jeopardy. And we're tired all the time. And here too, we don't value God's grace. Truth be told, I naturally lean toward this direction.
How is this conundrum to be resolved?
First of all, our salvation and reconciled relationship with God is entirely His doing. God does not owe us anything, but instead He provided our atonement through His Son, Jesus. None of us can earn his or her salvation. It is solely and completely the high expression of His grace to us who belong to Him.
Second, our living in light of God's grace is related to our response to our salvation. Our Bibles are clear that we cannot earn our salvation, and also clear in that our salvation should result in our sanctification, the process the Holy Spirit takes us through to conform our hearts to resemble Jesus' heart. In other words, our reconciled relationship with God cannot result in ignoring God's grace, nor can it result in trying to earn a salvation that has already been received; what God's grace should cause in us is a thankful heart.
People who truly understand God's grace are motivated by thanksgiving. There are the saints who are compelled to serve Jesus because of the work of His grace in their lives. People who understand God's grace want to live lives that say "thank you" to Jesus at every waking moment, even when it requires hard work or the courage to push through fears. Saints like these don't cheapen God's grace, and they don't try to earn God's grace. They accept every circumstance and opportunity in life as a blessing to be valued, appreciated and acted upon, knowing that it all comes from a God who loves them.
Oh, that we would know God's grace for what it truly is!