:: papaphysix's blog ::

In sharing with my student what JUSTICE, MERCY and GRACE actually mean:

He lost his tie and did not buy a new one before assembly day on thurs. In the name of JUSTICE, he deserves to caught and punished for his negligence. When he texted me on my mobile on wed night to ask if he can borrow my extra tie, I decided to lend it to him so that he will not be punished by the discipline master even though he did not even say please when he asked. This is what it means by MERCY: not receiving what you deserve (punishment meted out by JUSTICE). The next day, instead of scolding him, I decided to GIVE the tie to him as a gift (not because he deserves it but because God moved me to give). This is GRACE: receiving a GIFT that you do not deserve.

Why do I wanna share this? Cos' that's exactly what I experienced from God.

Looking at my own standard of living and righteousness, I have offended God and people many a times during my life on earth. I have been selfish many a times and I have sinned (miss the mark) and fall short of His glory (who is full of truth, love and justice) in many ways. In the name of JUSTICE, I deserve the consequences of all my actions and I deserve to be punished and banished to Hell (which God reserved for Satan and his demons initially). I am not condemning myself but honestly frank about how I look at myself in comparison to God¡¯s standard (His standard is really high e.g. A person is considered to have committed adultery simply when he lusts in his heart as he looks at a woman.)

However, God has shown me MERCY by deciding that I should not receive what I deserve. It's not because He simply decided NOT to take into account of my sins (He cannot be unJUST) but because He did something to pay the debts of my sins once and for all. He decided to give His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die as a sinless substitute for me. Remember Aslan the Lion from the Chronicles of Narnia? He died on behalf of Peter even though it was Peter who sinned. But because a sinless One died in the place of the sinful, the debts of the sinful is fully paid (just as the curse of the Table of Narnia is broken). I do not deserve that God should open a way for my sins to be paid but He decided to give it to me freely anyway. Now, this is GRACE, receiving what I do not deserve. For me, it is a humbling but yet wonderful experience to acknowledge that I must cease in all my effort to be decent enough to meet God's standard and simply to accept what He has accomplished on my behalf. Today, my heart is set free. I am totally at peace with God and myself. I am assured of a place with Him till eternity, not because of what I can do or deserve but because of His MERCY and GRACE.

I now live with only one desire: not to be an example of perfection (and become proud and self-righteous) but to be an example of growth (and remain humble to depend on Christ who now lives in me fully to do all things). That's what I call, happily ever after! :D

Categories: life [t]