COST OF GRACE

John Fenn, Cost of grace

Hi all,
I'm still thinking about grace and the ramifications of Christ in us. This week I'd like to share about the cost of grace. We are so oriented towards grace being unmerited favor that we don't know about other aspects of grace; one of those being the cost involved to walk in grace.
 
I've defined grace for years as being a revelation of the Father and/or the Father's will, and faith comes from and through that grace (Eph 2:8-10). That makes faith our response to that revelation. For instance Noah received grace; his response was to build the ark. Abraham received grace to become the Father of a nation; and his response was a 1000 mile walk to the land God promised. Moses received grace to be Israel's leader; and his response was to go back to Egypt to lead. They're all in the "hall of faith" in Hebrews 11 as a result. Additionally, Peter left fishing at the revelation he would become a fisher of men, Saul of Tarsus became the apostle Paul at his revelation of Jesus on the Damascus road, and on it goes.
 
You and I too received grace - a revelation of God's will - and we responded by becoming a disciple of Jesus.
 
Once a person receives a word or any other communication from the Father - that is grace - and a response is required - that is faith. Therefore faith feels like peace, moving in that word from the Father. But walking out that grace will cost you.
 
Grace is harder than the law
In Matthew 5 Jesus taught that while the Law only dealt with actions, grace deals with the thoughts and intent of the heart. The Law said "you shall do no murder", but Jesus said hating your brother without cause is where murder actually begins, so control your feelings and thoughts. The Law said don't have sex with someone other than your spouse, but Jesus said looking with lust at another is where adultery actually begins, so control your thoughts. Grace costs the death of old thoughts and the discipline required to walk in new thoughts.
  
It's gonna cost you  
In II Samuel 24: 19-25 David buys the parcel of ground where Solomon's temple would be built, where the Temple Mount is today in Jerusalem. The owner of the land graciously offered it to King David as a gift, but David insisted on paying a market price for it, saying this in verse 24: "I will not make offerings to the Lord of that which costs me nothing." or we might say today; I will not give to the Lord that which costs me nothing.
 
David went to that land by revelation from God (grace) - that's where He wanted the temple built. David's response was faith, and he refused to respond from that which cost him nothing.
 
Responding to grace in whatever form it takes - disciplining thoughts not to run wild, keeping the mouth shut instead of hurling insults, taking the high road - it's all new and different compared to the world's way, and it's for people who want to renew the mind to think like God and live like God, to come up to his higher ways.
 
Because we've not been taught Biblical grace, rather a do-anything-no ramifications grace, we think it's free and our decision to walk in grace will be free. While receiving grace is free, walking it out is what costs.
 
To stop thinking wrong thoughts costs you the pleasure and familiarity of those thoughts; to forgive when it's easier to remain angry will cost you; to accept that you and not your spouse is at fault will cost you; to set up a discipline of giving regular offerings will cost you; to volunteer at a charitable organization or give to someone in need - all these things will cost you one way or another IF you are walking in Biblical grace.
 
American culture equates knowledge with growth, which is incorrect of course - it is the doing that leads to growth. As a result we have millions of believers who think they are disciples of Jesus, but in reality all they are is believers. Disciples do the hard thing of applying themselves to become Christ-like. Nobody grows into maturity in Christ by accident - every challenge in life is an opportunity to grow in Christ and each challenge must be met by the desire and application to apply that grace to our lives. That costs us.
 
Grace is counter-culture
Consider the great people of faith in the Bible - from Noah building his boat while others jeered, to the apostles who were so counter-culture they paid with their lives; they walked in great grace which was 180 degrees counter to the culture around them. Grace is counter-culture.
 
Rahab showed favor to the spies when everyone around her was preparing to fight for their lives. She made the decision to believe in the God of Israel, and her response to the grace shown was to help the spies and to hang that red cord from her window.
 
Joshua 6: 22-25 records that though her house was on the wall and the wall fell flat, the part with her house did not fall. She walked in God's counter-culture grace to the saving of her family, but it cost her. She lost friends, her home, the life she'd known for years, and she had to start another life in Israel - grace cost her.
 
But look at the benefits of walking in grace, of doing the hard thing, of growing as a person; Noah built the boat that saved humankind; Abraham became the Father of faith; Moses helped birth a nation; Joshua brought that nation into the Promised Land; Daniel survived the lions; the apostles wrote the New Testament...
 
And our friend Rahab? The opening verses of Matthew record the genealogy of Jesus, and 1:5 records that she married an Israelite named Salmon, and they had a son who they named Boaz. When he was older he was not afraid to have a Moabite wife like his mom was, a woman who converted to the God of Israel - Ruth. And of course Boaz and Ruth had Obed, who was Jesse's dad, who was David's dad. This means Ruth was David's great-grandma, and Rahab his great-great grandma.
 
Walking in grace will cost you. If a person is going through life in such a way they are giving to the Lord that which costs them nothing, I question if they are walking in grace. 
 
Grace costs us, but not growing in grace costs us as well. Insisting we are right can cost a friendship or marriage or job. Harboring resentment can make enemies of family. If we value those around us, it costs less for us to change and grow in Christ as we learn to walk in love and grace, than it does to stay in bitterness and unforgiveness and refusal to grow.
 
Jesus said it this way in Matthew 5: 44-48: If you love those who love you, what reward is that? Don't even sinners do that? If you acknowledge only other believers, what is that? Don't sinners acknowledge their own? Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those that hate you, pray for those that use you...be mature (in love) as your heavenly Father is.
 
That's why I urge disciples of Jesus to walk in grace, giving to the Lord that which costs them something - take every challenge in life as an opportunity to grow and discover what the Father can teach you.
 
Romans 12:1-2 says to make our bodies and living sacrifice and to renew our minds - grace costs something or it's not grace. But the rewards of walking in that grace, the rewards of changing and letting "Christ be formed in you" are undeniable and beyond searching - the reward of grace is more precious than gold!
 
Some thoughts this day,
Blessings,
John Fenn
www.ifaithhome.org