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Grace and Purpose

             BibleGateway.com has provided another “before” verse. It specifically says that God gave us grace in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but earlier in the verse, it connects grace with purpose. I know someone who was taught that if she didn’t perform, God might “shelve” her. This is a variation on what Mordecai said to Esther about what would happen if she didn’t try to help her people, and what God told Ezekiel about what would happen if he didn’t warn his people about their sins. I’m not suggesting that there won’t be consequences if we refuse to do as God tells us. I’m suggesting that God’s plans include grace and are not so fragile that our failure automatically disqualifies us.

But more than that. God planned all this before the beginning of time. He had a purpose for you and for me before the universe came to be. He knew that we would fall short, and He chose to work with us anyway. He created us in a way that necessitated our failure, and like a good parent, He stepped in, and steps in. I’m not OK, but it’s OK. It’s not really about my being OK – from my perspective anyway. Somehow, because God is God, He will welcome me to join Him in making things turn out right. I suspect it’s like the parent teaching the child to write by holding the hand that holds the pencil. And if that’s the way I need to learn to live, so be it.

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