Taking our messes to the Messiah

Last night Mike Cope showed a hilarious and yet very moving DVD of Jeff Walling portraying Matthew. Oy, what a great Jewish accent! His main point was that when we admit what a mess we are and come clean and surrender to our Messiah, Jesus, He takes our mess and gives us a message! It was a wonderful re-telling of what the power of the gospel can do in our lives.

As I heard Jeff speak, I thought of how at times I don't really see the messes in my life. Some times things are going so well in my life that I don't really feel very messy. And have you noticed how we can see the messes of other people's lives and quietly think, "I'm so glad I'm not like him." Or, "She sure has made such a mess of her life. " And then we don't see the beam in our own eye.

I need that daily reminder from the Holy Spirit that it is by grace that this messy man has been saved, not by works. It's all grace.

Earlier this year I heard Billy Graham's daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, deliver a very powerful message on Isaiah. She described so vividly the scene in Isaiah 6, where the prophet encountered the majesty and holiness of God -- and how this prophet felt undone, stripped of any sense of his own righteousness, feeling a desperation to be forgiven and atoned for his sin. You know the rest of the scene -- how the angel took the hot coal from the altar and put it on Isaiah's lips and declared, "your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for."

Then the Lord commissioned Isaiah to speak the truth of God to His people. Which Isaiah did with great power and boldness!

I have found in my life that I can so be hard on other people when they fail or disappoint me -- and it's often because I forget that I received mercy from the Lord for all my sins and blunders (and I keep receiving that mercy -- because I continue sinning and blundering!)

I'll never forget the story of a Christian leader I knew who had been secretly involved in a sinful practice for many years. He finally came clean -- and eventually left the church where he worked and sought refuge in another town, another church. And a long-term friend of his, who ministered at that church, helped him start his life over. This minister extended this fallen leader mercy and grace. And eventually this leader recovered and was able to begin a new ministry that came flowed deeply out of his brokenness and redemption. We all need those second chances and third chances, etc....don't we?

Here's my question: how can we continually keep before us as Christ-followers the truth that we are messes saved by the Messiah? In other words, how do we keep growing in our passion for Jesus Christ, to be so in love with Him because we know in the very depths of our souls that He has saved us and forgiven us? (and then be mercy givers to others)

As my friend Wes Netz often says as he signs off from his e-mails...

Bought by the same blood,

Jim