Some people can’t believe God could ever love them because of their past. They’ve been too bad for God to accept or use. They’ve obviously never looked at the lineage of Jesus.
In Jesus’ human closet are ancestors who were liars, prostitutes, adulterers, murderers and people who sinned in just about every way imaginable. And by God’s grace, he used them mightily and they’ve been included in the unlikely lineage of the Messiah.
That means that God is not looking for a few good people. He’s not searching for sinless followers—instead he’s looking for hearts who are willing to admit their inability to measure up.
Many people look at religion as a performance. You do enough good things to outweigh the bad things and God will accept you. You do more bad than good and God will reject you. So they stay away from God and the church because, in sports parlance, they’re down by so many runs after the first inning or they’ve fallen off the beam.
Enter the “Grace Dare.”
Dare to take God at his word about your life. Dare to believe that the love God showed in the sacrifice of Jesus was for you. Period. No matter how much you’ve messed up your life, God’s grace is available to transform you.
This kind of grace will liberate you. It will not just provide a new perspective on life, it will provide a new life. Grace takes you from death to life, from enemy to a friend of God. This transfer of the righteousness of Jesus to your life is instantaneous and all-encompassing.
But here’s the transformational aspect of the Grace Dare. When you have truly believed this message and have embraced the forgiveness of God, it will compel you to act in the same way you’ve been treated. The grace of God in your life will propel you to spread that grace to others. Friends who’ve betrayed you, a spouse who has let you down, a child who has disappointed you.
So if you believe God couldn’t love you because you’re too sinful, take a look at the list of unlikely ancestors in Jesus’ family tree. Then take the Grace Dare. Believe and embrace the love of God and you’ll find yourself giving it away.
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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.
