Sufficient

You’ve heard the phrase, “His grace is sufficient for you.” right?

Depending on your frame of mind, these words can be a comfort or a huge annoyance when you are going through a dark patch.

It comes from 2 Corinthians 12:9 when Paul is talking about his burdening affliction. After asking God to take his ailment away, Paul is faced with God’s answer: My grace is sufficient for you.

The word ‘sufficient,’ though defined as enough to meet the needs of a situation, has somehow come to mean it’ll do as if it isn’t ideal but it gets the job done. A reluctance has tainted our understanding of the word, confusion that leads us to believe we are just getting by with ‘sufficient.’ I believe our worldview influences this watered-down definition because it tells us that ‘enough’ is never enough. Extra is always better. Slush funds, stock piles, and rainy day savings are essential while down-to-the-dime living is a sort of scarlet letter and something to be ashamed of. In other words, sufficiency is shameful.

I think this, in turn, influences our thoughts on grace. Sufficient as it is, and ‘enough’ by definition, we live our lives outside of that sufficiency. We seem to think there has to be more to it than that, or that grace only applies to the holy.

The simple, overwhelming, amazing truth is that His grace IS sufficient. In other translations of the same Biblical passage, it says that God’s grace is all you need. In another, God’s answer to Paul is this: I am all you need.

When it comes to our relationship with God, He is all we need. When it comes to our sinful condition, our selfish nature, our mistakes and failures and regrets – He is all we need. His grace is sufficient.

While ‘sufficient’ is one word that can be used to describe grace, a thesaurus of others follow once we grasp that very sufficiency of grace. Wonderful. Astounding. Incredible. Outstanding. And yes, even amazing.

The Easter sermon I heard this past Saturday night says it better. The pastor at the church we go to in our new Alabama home town has such a clear, concise, wonderful way of speaking Truth in love. I encourage you to listen if you have a few moments. (CLICK HERE) NOTE - This link takes you to the church's media page. The Easter sermon has yet to be posted (as of Monday morning) but I'm hoping it will. Sorry for the delay. But keep checking back if you're interested. Really, really worth it!
So, in the meantime...

Or if you don’t have time to listen to a sermon, perhaps a few moments with this song will also show you what I’m trying to say.

I pray the message of Easter – of Resurrection Sunday – stays with us the whole year through. Happy Monday, Dry Ground friends!

Just Like He Said

(photo by photobucket.com)

The Real Easter Hero - NOT a bunny...

It's kinda tough to pick one song to post for Easter weekend since most songs I listen to pertain to exactly that - Easter - the death and resurrection of my Savior, my Rescuer, my God - Jesus. I've been listening to music all day thinking, 'that one would be good' or 'oh, no this one is better'... but here's what I've decided on. Abandon's 'Hero.' Thank you, Jesus, for being the ultimate hero, the ultimate and real and loving hero of the world and of my soul.

Happy Easter, Dry Ground friends!

Easter Weekend Tune Up

Today is Good Friday, when we acknowledge and celebrate the beginning of THE defining moment in the world's history, in the lives of us all, whether we know it or not. The Son of God was sacrificed for our wrong-doings, giving up His very life so that we, through depending on and trusting in Him, can have the opportunity to live forever.

So, in honor of that, and as a way to tune our hearts toward Him as we celebrate Easter and His victory over Death itself, I share with you the following song - Avalon's "The Glory". The lyrics follow, then a link to listen (it wouldn't let me embed this one). Take a few moments to listen, reflect, give thanks and honor the Savior of our souls.

In the solitary moment of His birth
On this barren dusty land
All of heaven kissed the face of the earth
With a miracle of love
God became a man
But He was sent away to draw His final breath
When He was only thirty-three
And in the shame of dying a criminal's death
He cleansed an angry world
And in His suffering I see

The glory of the blood
The beauty of the body
That was broken for our forgiveness
The glory of His perfect love
Is the heart of the story
The glory of the blood

Now I have tried to find salvation on my own
In a search for something real
But there's a guilty heart inside this flesh and bone
Fall upon His grace
And I begin to feel

repeat chorus

And when I close my eyes I can see Him hanging there
Oh the precious wounded Lamb of God
All the majesty in this world cannot compare to the glory
The beauty of the body
That was broken for our forgiveness

repeat chorus

But He was sent away to draw His final breath
When He was only thirty-three

CLICK to listen!

Happy Easter, Dry Ground friends! Rejoice!

(photo by photobucket.com)

He is Risen!

All men die.

Only Jesus, the man who was also God, conquered death and rose from the grave.

He holds the keys now, and death no longer has a sting.

Trust in the One who accomplished this for one reason – because He loves you.

Happy Easter!

Sold Out

What’s more annoying than stepping up to the box office and hearing those hated words, sold out? Plans dashed.

Or how about Black Friday, after getting up way before dawn, and standing in lines and jostling a few rival shoppers, just to miss out on the fantastic deals?

We don’t like finding out that what we want is sold out.

The phrase also doesn’t bode well when we’re confronted with a person who has compromised their principles or double-crossed a friend for personal gain. We say they’ve sold out. No one likes a traitor.

Perhaps the negative connotations of the phrase sold out keep us from embracing the concept of being sold out for a good cause. Dedicating everything in your life to a singular, worthy, life-affirming call.

For instance, for Jesus. The One Who sold out for us.

In church yesterday, the Holy Spirit put a finger on the thin, red (I’m imagining it red for some reason) strand of rebellion that runs through the tapestry of my life, the one that keeps me from being completely sold out for Him. The one that lies to me and tells me that everything is fine, that I’m a good little Christian and that I’m doing plenty to serve my Lord and Savior.

Truth is, I’m far from being sold out.

I watched The Last Samurai the other day. Good flick, although it ranks up there with Glory and Saving Private Ryan as those difficult to watch. Anyway, it reveals that the word Samurai means servant. It was the precursor to the conviction I felt in church, because I admitted to myself that my life doesn’t show half of the discipline of the traditional warrior.

I don’t plan on becoming a samurai. I’m not sure girls are even aloud. And I don’t presume that anything I do will trump God’s grace or add to my kudos column or motivate Jesus to love me more or put me ahead of any of my brothers and sisters in Christ. None of those are valid or profitable reasons to serve. Actually, they negate the definition of service/servant.

My motivation has to be love… the unconditional, perfect kind Jesus offers me.

In a love relationship, service is a pleasure, a desire, and a joy.

The essence of being sold out.

Thanks for visiting Dry Ground this Monday before Easter!

(photos by photobucket.com)