Truth and Grace

One of the things I like most about Flatirons is the emphasis on both truth and grace.  The weekend of May 17/18, Jim listed several verses that tell us how God views us, and it occurred to me these verses contain truth and grace.  My first instinct is to immediately see them as grace.  God loves me as much as He loves Jesus?!?  (John 17:23)  Wow, how gracious of God because in my mind I certainly don’t stack up to Jesus.  I must remind myself this verse is truth, too, as are all the other verses Jim listed.  We don’t need to “stack up” to anyone because Jesus determines our value.

During the last women’s Follow Bible Study, we studied a list of similar verses that explain what God already thinks of us, even as the Holy Spirit works in us to make a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).  When God looks at you He sees:

His heir (Gal. 4:4-7)
His child (John 1:12-13)
A masterpiece (Eph. 2:10)
A friend (John 15:15)
Righteousness (Titus 3:17)
A member of His household (Eph. 2:19)
His joy (Zeph. 3:17)
Someone highly valuable (Luke 12:6-7)
A chosen one (I Peter 2:9)

And this is just a short list.  (If you couldn’t go last time, come to the next Follow Bible Study series to see the whole list. Click here for more information and to register.)

Why don’t we think of ourselves the way God does?  If we truly did, we wouldn’t seek our value in other things, like being the perfect housekeeper, or the perfect wife and mom, or the perfect employee or the fastest runner, or... you get the picture.  For me, it’s easier to see the value and spiritual gifts of other women than my own.  So it was a big comfort when Pastor Jim told us one of the Holy Spirit’s primary jobs is to teach us who we really are in Jesus. 

I think if we truly knew who we are and what God thinks of us, it would impact the decisions we make and how we make them.  I know I would have less baggage in my head if I were only trying to learn what Jesus has in mind for me. It might not be easier to figure out what Jesus has in mind for me, but I would make better decisions in the long run.  So I’m learning to trust the Holy Spirit to teach me who I am each day and trying to focus on what Jesus is telling me to do, rather than what the world would tell me.  My success rate is not even close to 100%, but thank goodness for grace.

Ursula Rick has been a part of the Flatirons community for 2 1/2 years.  She has been married to her husband Kyle for 11 years, and they live in Boulder.  She likes to run (slowly, not like those crazy fast Boulderites) and is always up for a good book.