"Grace and Love"

  There is so much talk about the grace and love of Jesus and there should be. His grace toward us is so deep that I know we cannot begin to understand. The love for mankind is another one of those attributes of our Lord and God that we cannot grasp fully, especially when we sin so often and easy. But there seems to be something in our teachings and beliefs about the grace and love of Jesus that is making some of the realities of the Lord obscure. 

  We as humans seem to go overboard with almost everything. When speaking of grace and love to many have lost the sense of what that means. Grace is God's unmerited favor extended to us and without His grace we would all be lost. The bounds to God's grace is so vast and enormous. The attitudes have developed that grace will cover all and therefore there becomes no boundaries for us to operate within. Many take the grace of God and run to regions unknown in Scripture making it a "believe as you want to believe" or "do as you want to do" because the grace of God outdoes it all! That's an abuse of grace. The grace of God brings salvation to us through the death of Jesus. But the grace of God also is an instructor to deny any ungodliness and worldly desires (Titus 2:11-12). The grace of God is given to teach us how to live sensibly, righteously and godly in our daily lives. Not flippant or believing God's grace will cover everything. 

  The same with love. Love, love and more love of the Lord is poured out and it needs to be. With the very nature of God being love (I John 4:7-8) it is who He is. But again we go overboard in our thinking and beliefs. Love has at its core discipline! Love has at it's core the truth! "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines!"  That's spoken from Scripture (Heb. 12:6). When we are called to discipline someone for continued ungodly behavior, that's love in action. We seem to miss this side of love. Too many have made love 'gooey' and take it beyond what the Lord shows us. "Love rejoices with the truth, not in unrighteousness!" That too is spoken from Scripture (I Cor. 13:6). We have taken love to places the Lord never takes His character. 

  The result of these two principles of God being abused by so many in our day, grace and love, have led to a place where there is little standard anymore. It has taken us to being less reverent toward God and led us into our worship as more of a show than reverence. Our attitudes have taken on the "coffee and doughnut" attitude rather than reverence for the Lord. We need to refocus on the Lord and see what He teaches in regard to Himself. God is love! God's grace saves us through Jesus Christ! Those are the facts but those facts are to lead us into lives that honor Him and reverentially hold to His word. There is a standard from heaven and we must be careful that we do not blur what His standard has set before our eyes.