When my wife and I were first married we lived with her parents. We had no money and were pregnant with our son. My in-laws were generous enough to help us during this time and I was very grateful for that. I worked as many hours as I could but life was still just very hard, particularly trying to figure out my wife’s medical appointments, a new marriage, upcoming parenthood, and living with her parents under the same roof. I spent a lot of time in prayer and a lot of time trying to sort out what our next/first steps were as a married couple and soon-to-be parents.
And I was able to do that from the stability of my in-laws’ home and covering.
Grateful was an understatement.
One Saturday I found my father-in-law cutting his grass in the heat of the day. I felt bad. Here he was allowing me to live under his roof and helping take care of us, and I was allowing him to cut his own grass.
I decided I would do my best to make sure he never had to do that chore again. It wasn’t a lot, but it was something I could offer.
His graciousness compelled me to action.
He never asked me to do it or required it or even mentioned it . . . even in a passive aggressive way (he’s a great guy and like me, loves sarcasm . . . if only you knew him 😊). I just felt like it was the right thing to do in response to what he was doing for me during that season of life.
I can’t say he NEVER cut his grass again, but I certainly tried to make it that way.
In Luke 7, the woman was not content to simply sit back & pray about her thankfulness for God’s grace. She could not be silent about how her sin debt was wiped clean but rather had to speak out . . . and do so in as bold of a way as she could think.
God’s graciousness compelled her to action.
Does it compel you?
God doesn’t REQUIRE you to do anything to earn your salvation any more than my father-in-law REQUIRED me to cut his grass to live with him.
But when you truly recognize that even on your best day you fall short, as we learned yesterday, you can’t help but be compelled to action.
Compelled to get more involved serving at church.
Compelled to dig into God’s word more regularly.
Compelled to pray and talk with Him each morning & night.
Compelled to steer clear of any sexually tempting website.
Compelled to focus your mind on things of God as opposed to things of the world.
I’m not suggesting some sort of guilt-ridden list of requirements that you demand of yourself each day; else you get your hand smacked by Sister Agnes who’s been watching all along!
But I am suggesting a healthy compulsion of activity based on truly recognizing the full magnitude of God’s grace.
See where that takes you today!
Thoughts to Pray/Journal:
- How can you be more compelled to action?
- How can you better value God’s sacrifice of sending His son Jesus?
- What makes the woman’s actions significant?
Reading: