(By David Giarrizzo)

I grew up in a home of four, and my mom was the only female. As my brother and I increased in age, so did the testosterone levels increase in the Giarrizzo household. My mom at times had her hands full trying to keep World War III from breaking out under our roof. I can recall more than a few epic battles that raged throughout the house (think: last scene from the latest Hulk movie!). What some might consider just two siblings in the same bedroom, my brother and I considered an operational fight club. I thank the Lord, though, that the good times that were had far outnumbered the bloody noses and busted collar bones.

In the midst of my teenage years, when the sibling aggression was at its peak, I remember my dear, sweet mother’s voice reminding me often: “Grace, grace.” These words were sometimes said and sometimes sung. Even today, whenever I am about to lose my cool or lash out in judgmental fury on someone or something, I can hear mom’s voice singing that tune…

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all my sin.

I am so grateful for this wonderful memory that has so many practical implications in my daily life. How important it is to remember God’s grace towards us. When we remember the grace of God, it should humble us. I should ask myself, “Who is a viler sinner than me?” And yet God’s grace saved me from my deserved punishment and cleansed me though and through. I can hardly comprehend the magnitude of such a divine act of grace.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved…” (Ephesians 2:4-5)

Accordingly, in light of the riches of God grace to us, we as heirs with Him should show such grace to others. This was my mother’s point when she would remind us of the grace of God. Every time she sang that song, she was reminding me to be gracious to others as God has been gracious to me.

“…grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” (Ephesians 4:7)

This kind of graciousness that Christians should show to others is not simply politeness or courteousness. Instead, graciousness is spiritually rooted. Our graciousness should mirror the graciousness of God: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty…” (Exodus 34:6-7). God’s graciousness is great, yet specific; merciful, yet just. In the Psalms, this kind of graciousness is often coupled with patience, mercy, and love (Psalms 86:15, 103:8, 116:5, 145:8). Should we not as brothers and sisters in Christ be patient and merciful and loving towards each other as God has been to us?

Yet how often are we quick to judge our brothers? (I speak as a capital offender!) We take out our spiritual magnifying glasses to pin point the specks in our brother’s eye, all the while walking around with tree trunks lodged in our eyes. We take aim at fellow believers, shooting down the very family of God, forgetting to remove our own optical logs. Instead of being hasty in our judgment and reckless with our critical remarks, we should all be more careful when we call out other Christians. In the arena of the church, humility is the key to wisdom (Proverbs 11:2).

And please don’t mistake me: I’m not encouraging ecumenism. I am encouraging biblical love towards believers. Granted, we must be discerning Christians who love God’s law and hold ourselves and our brothers accountable to the standard of God’s decree. However, I’m simply encouraging us to be gracious in our attitudes and words and actions towards those brothers and sisters in Christ who are not in active rebellion to God, but may be off-centered in their theology or misguided in their practice (or at least we think they are). I think of my Arminian brothers or those who believe in ongoing revelatory gifts or those who…… [fill in the blank]. We can—and should—engage these brethren in biblical discussion on such matters; but when we do, may we be filled with grace. Likewise, when we seek to shepherd those in our churches who need some real “spurring on,” may we speak the truth with evident love. And when those with whom we speak do not immediately agree with us and change their ways, let us rejoice in the Lord knowing we both were bought with the blood of the Lamb and we’ll both spend eternity at His feet.

Finally, let us do away with the pride that comes from our deep study of doctrine. (But for the grace of God, we are dumb.) Let us do away with the arrogance that accompanies years of church attendance. (But for the grace of God, we are lost.) Let us do away with the judgmentalism of others that goes with rearing godly children. (But for the grace of God, they are dead.) Brothers and sisters, but for the grace of God, we are nothing. Therefore let us boast in nothing but the cross of Christ. And may we always show to others the grace that God has shown to us.

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.” –John Newton

“The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.” –Fanny J. Crosby

[As always, I encourage your thoughts on this subject. Please feel free to share using the comment form below.]

(By: Christopher Powell) This week, I’d like to focus on encouraging us all as we once again enter the “resolution season” of a new year and a new decade to fearlessly make some resolutions to change. I say fearlessly, because, perhaps like some of you, in the past I have stopped making resolutions because I have had struggles to fulfill them. Too many broken promises.

 

The New Year’s encouragement I would like to offer my fellow promise breakers is that as Christians, we are recipients of grace. As such, we are constantly given new opportunities for repentance and growth. Jeremiah puts it this way in Lamentations 3:22-24 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”” Have you ever really contemplated that? God’s mercy is new EVERY morning. That means that if we are His, we are daily given chances to reform our lives and actions. If you have tried and failed to do something good, it does not mean that you’ve blown all your chances. This text means that there is ALWAYS hope for the Christian. It means that you don’t have to worry about your pride or your reputation with men. As Christians, we live for the Lord and He is our inheritance – our portion forever. Who cares what other people think about our failures or successes? They are not our judges, God is. And God is also the source of our mercy. He has promised in Christ to love us anyways and always. That is the stupendous news of Gospel grace

 

I must confess I have not always felt this way. Perhaps like some of you, I had previously had mixed feelings about the amazing list of Jonathan Edwards’ resolutions which many folks revisit every year at this time. While it is a great list, in my pride, I have thought about how many promises I have broken over the years. Now when you think about your failures, it’s really easy to convince yourself that making a resolution is useless if all you’re going to do is break it. But failure should not stop us if we are Christians. In fact, as daily recipients of God’s grace, we ought to be motivated out of the joy of our deliverance to resolve more and more to follow after Him. To do the “good works” which he “prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). So, make resolutions! Set both realistic ones that you know you can achieve and ones that require more faith to complete. Don’t forget that we serve a generous God, and, if we ask according to His will, it is His delight to grant to us.

 

And, if you fail, remember the humble realism of one of the resolutions that Edwards made:

 

3. Resolved, If ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

 

The life of the Christian is one of constant repentance which brings joy and restoration. If you haven’t read all 70 of Edwards’ resolutions for yourself, it is worth a couple moments to check them out. They reflect an incredible spiritual maturity for the young Edwards who wrote them when he was around 19-20 years of age. He then read them weekly to remember to apply them.

 

As a final encouragement to take up this practice remember that change was one of the battle cries of the Protestant Reformation “Semper Reformanda!” (always reforming). This was driven by the biblical principle that the Christian is ever transforming by sanctifying grace into the image of Christ. Sanctification is a cooperative effort. It requires us to respond in obedience to God’s revealed will in the Scriptures. So, brothers and sisters, may you be inspired to make your own resolutions to change for His glory. Feel free to share your resolutions or your favourite Edwards’ resolution in the comments.

 

Please note: we will return to blogging through the Crosstalk book next year.