The other thing I love about Ford Broncos is how different yet similar they all look. Kinda like Jeep Wranglers, they are similar enough that you know one when you see one, but different enough that as an owner, you can customize it so it’s uniquely yours.
I’ve seen some basic Bronco Sports, some intermediate Broncos with open tops & cages, and then some super stylish off-road Broncos with tow cables and no doors. It all is unique to the individual and what they want.
Just as we all have unique desires, we also all have unique stories.
And just as God’s grace is compelling to us all, we each have a different perspective because His grace looks different on each of us based on where we’ve been and what we’ve experienced.
In Luke 15, we find the story of the Prodigal Son.
I’ve heard this story for years and it was always about how wayward we can get yet still return to a God who has open & willing arms, ready for us to return to Him.
I could always identify more with the older brother.
He even got overlooked in the application portion in just about every sermon I’ve ever heard on this passage!
I walked the straight line. I never went out & partied. I never wandered from my faith. Just like the older brother. Where’s my party? Where’s my celebration? I’ve been the one here the whole time??!!
The brother says to his father, what about me? (v. 29)
The father says, it’s not about you. It’s about the redemption of your brother. (v. 32)
The part I want to emphasize here is that God’s grace looks different on each of us. Yet in the end, we all get the same benefit. We all are welcomed into God’s family the same. And none of us deserve it, regardless of our backgrounds.
And if we all get the same redemption, that must mean it’s not about what we did or didn’t do.
How we ‘stayed put’ or ‘wandered away’ from God.
How we got it right or messed it up.
How we acted.
Because it’s not about how we act.
We don’t act to EARN God’s favor. We act because we HAVE God’s favor.
As Mr. Miyagi says, “Understand?”
Thoughts to Pray/Journal:
- What does God’s grace look like on you?
- How might that cause you to either appreciate God’s grace or take it for granted?
- And how does the answer to that question impact your day-to-day life? What do you need to do now considering that?
Reading: