March 22, 2011
“So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe — people and things, animals and atoms — get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.” Colossians 1:19-20 The Message
How crowded is your life …?
You can work really hard trying not to work hard at being the person you think God hopes you’ll be … only to discover you haven’t been working at any of these things at all. You’ve been toiling .. and working and toiling aren’t the same thing. You can arrive at that place .. that moment .. that season when you realize that your life has become too crowded. Maybe you’ve heard it a thousand times. Maybe you’ve never heard it even when you’ve heard it. Jesus invites you into his world of grace. It is a world filled with space for your life to discover “new rhythms .. new patterns .. and fresh tools with which to texture-wrap the labor-scarred landscape of your life.” The scars are real and so is His grace. His grace words are so true they’ll reach the deepest broken and dislocated places of your life. It doesn’t matter to God how long it takes to reach that moment or place where you finally hear His grace-melodies or see the deepest colors of His love for you. He is that spacious and has all the room you need to find your place “without crowding”. His invitation is 2000 years old real: “Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it.” It begins with a walk and the spacious room to “watch” Jesus working in and around your life. And when you let go of trying to figure it out on your own or working harder hoping He’ll notice you and throw you some crumbs … You’ll begin to breathe unforced rhythms of grace-air. You won’t be forced .. You won’t be hurried .. And Jesus “won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you”. You’ll see the vibrant harmonies of your life against a blood-stained cross. And you know what …? You won’t be pulled back into a life of toil and grief. You’ll discover the life He has only wanted you to have all along: living freely and lightly … in the indwelling company of Jesus. The unforced rhythms of grace … it only takes a moment …
“Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matt. 11:29-30 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to those who long to live in the spacious company of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org) **Thank you Wif for 30 wonder-filled years in this grace journey together. I love you ..Hub**
