Many people have ancestors they’d rather not talk about. They have a member on the family tree that embarrassed or caused shame on the next generation.
This is the fascinating thing about Jesus. He is the only person in history who could choose his lineage. And when you look at some of the people he chose, you have to scratch your head.
Look at Abraham. Yes, Abraham believed God, but he also stumbled and fell greatly. King David was a man after God’s own heart. He showed great courage, great faith, was a dynamite worship leader, but he also had a problem with lust and adultery. Rahab was a prostitute. Tamar pretended to be one. And Solomon ran after women.
A few years ago, Dr. Gary Chapman preached a message about this “unlikely lineage” of Jesus and the message was so well-received, we decided to expand it and put it in book form, complete with a study guide.
One of the pivotal principles is that God’s grace, his extraordinary love commended to us in Christ, must first be believed. You have to believe that God really does love you enough to die for you. Then, when you receive that grace, you embrace its truth and possess it. As God moves into your life and helps you apply grace, something wonderful happens. You don’t cling to it or horde it, you extend grace to others.
You may hear those outside the church (and even inside) say that Christians are such unloving people. Could it be that our problem as followers of Jesus is more than just bad PR? Could it be that we haven’t believed and embraced the grace that God has given, and that we can’t give something we haven’t fully possessed?
Are there people in your life who are difficult to love, difficult to extend grace toward? Check your heart and see if you are truly believing and embracing the extraordinary grace offered by God. When you believe and possess the love lavished on you that you didn’t deserve, it will be much easier to act that same way to someone else.
When you’ve been loved by God, you are able to love others from the well of that same love. God’s grace is not just something you enjoy and give thanks for, his grace compels you to give it away.
May God’s extraordinary grace be evident in your life and your relationships today.
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FEATURED GUEST: Chris Fabry
Chris Fabry is an award-winning author and radio personality who hosts the daily program Chris Fabry Live! on Moody Radio. He is also heard on Love Worth Finding, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, and other radio programs. A 1982 graduate of the W. Page Pitt School of Journalism at Marshall University and a native of West Virginia, Chris and his wife, Andrea, now live in Arizona and are the parents of nine children. Chris’ novels, which include Dogwood, June Bug, Almost Heaven, Not in the Heart, Borders of the Heart, and his latest release, Every Waking Moment, have won three Christy Awards and an ECPA Christian Book Award, but it’s his lyrical prose and tales of redemption that keep readers returning for more.
