going after God’s heart

From a Perspective of Grace

Posted on 04. Feb, 2010 by admin in God Stuff

In Luke 10:25- Jesus shares the well-known story of the Good Samaritan.

In it a man has been beaten, robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest walks by and decides to pass him on the other side of the road. So too, a Levite sees him and decides to walk on the other side of the road.  Then along comes a Samaritan, and seeing the man’s needs and condition, picks him up, places him on his donkey and takes him to the nearest inn. At the inn he instructs the innkeeper to please take care of the man while he is away.  He gives him money and tells him that he will also reimburse him for any extra expense that may come up in treating the man.

Jesus, sharing this parable then asks “which of these three men do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The answer seems clear: “He who had mercy on Him.” To which Jesus replied “Go and do likewise.”

This story is a powerful depiction of how we as Christ’s followers are to live out our lives.  We are to reach out in love to our neighbor. Even more than that we are to see our neighbors (our brothers and sisters) as higher than ourselves.  We are called to be servant lovers!

But from a perspective of grace- I would like to look at this story a little differently. A pastor from Singapore shared this message and I welcome your feedback and what the Lord has revealed to you.

What IF Jesus was trying to teach us about ourselves and HIS love for us?

What IF the man on the side of the road was actually representative of US?

We, before Christ, were dying in our sins, suffering on the side of the road. Than Jesus came along- HALLELUJAH!- and He picked us up. He placed us on His donkey and made sure that we were safe. And then before leaving, He sent a Comforter, the Holy Spirit to look after and teach us!

Jesus had MERCY on US!  Jesus was showing the Father’s unending GRACE!

He loves us so much that He would never leave us! He cares for us more than we could ever imagine and no matter how beaten up this world has left us, Jesus is there to pick us up and show us His love and mercy.

In Matthew 8, a man with leprosy came and knelt before Jesus and said “if you are willing, you can make me clean.” And Jesus looking at this shunned, social outcast; this man who in the eyes of the world was unclean and said in all tenderness “I am willing- be clean!” Instantly the leprosy was gone!

I think that Jesus was not only showing us a true miracle- God’s healing power over every sickness- but He was showing us ourselves. We were like the man with leprosy, but Jesus came and died on the cross for us so that we wouldn’t have to live in our sins.  He touched each one of us and made us clean.  He covered us with His precious and blameless blood so that we could experience a direct relationship with our Heavenly Father.

This is powerful stuff! This is the power of His SAVING GRACE.

Father- who am I that You are mindful of me?

My prayer over every person that reads this would be that you would undeniably be able to see the love that Jesus has for you. That you would recognize the grace that He so freely gives. That your response to this love would be “Abba Father- I love you TOO.”

God first loved us. His Word is a love letter to each of us! Let His amazing love change us and let our response be to love Him with everything in us.

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Tags: God's grace, Good samaritan, man with leprosy