December 21, 2011
“He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth. He frees them from tyranny and torture — when they bleed, he bleeds; when they die, he dies.” Psalm 72:14 The Message
Kings and Rulers and Governments all over the world seek His favor. Titles and wealth open all kinds of doors … but the rejected .. struggling .. down-and-out .. up-and-out .. addicted .. broken .. tortured .. and terrorized open the door His heart. Everything about Jesus disrupts everything in your life … just because. It doesn’t happen all at once according to an “old skin horse who watched over a nursery”. It takes time … disrupting time .. incredibly patient time .. and lamb leaping time. The kind of disruption Jesus is after in your life is the kind where you come to know that Jesus is part of everything in your life. It’s unsettling at first because you realize how many moments you’ve missed that He had shaped and sculpted for your life. And on top of it all He doesn’t spend a moment blaming you .. condemning you .. or discarding you. Instead, He lovingly reminds you that your life has been washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit so that His life can pour even more generously through you. The world runs on the fuel of “you deserve it if you earned it”. The Kingdom of God runs on the fuel that it is all God’s doing in changing your life .. not because you deserved it but because you could never deserve what He offers so freely. That’s why His life is so disrupting … just because … of Who He is! Are you ready to be disrupted today …? It only takes a moment … just because ….
“The moment the sound of your greeting entered my ears, The babe in my womb skipped like a lamb for sheer joy.” … “It was all his doing, we had nothing to do with it. He gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit. Our Savior Jesus poured out new life so generously.” Luke 1:44/ Titus 3:5-6 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Disruptively-Gripped followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@prioirityone.org) Thanks to an old friend: The Velveteen Rabbit
