Every Moment

We spent some time talking to our grandchildren overseas this morning. When I tip-toed through the kitchen and out the back door to make the call, Mom's light was on. Several minutes later, my husband joined me. Still no Mom. Scott and I laughed while our grandchildren showed us pictures they had drawn, and their parents snitched about their unruly behavior at the store earlier in the day. Still no Mom. I can imagine what you're thinking, but despite Mom's (really) advanced age, that thought rarely enters my mind. Mom is healthy as an ox and determined, I believe, to outlive us all. So, what I was thinking was, "I'm going to pay for this." Mom had been restless when we put her to bed the night before; now, her light was on, and she still hadn't appeared. Those things usually indicate some sort of mess: clothes strewn about, or furniture moved (Yes, she moves the furniture!), or something new --'cause there's always something new. Sure enough, by the time Mom appeared at the door, she was completely clothed in winter gear she'd retrieved from the back of her closet. I headed to her room and began doing my penance. "Every moment of peace comes with a price," I thought. And at that moment, I was extremely grateful for Jesus.

Jesus turns the "reality" of life in this world on its head. The pound of flesh that is currently being demanded for anything that even remotely smacks of racism or discrimination or injustice is not God's way and it's a great example of how ineffective law really is. I mean, how do you fix a price on legitimate racism or discrimination or injustice or any sort of impropriety? How do you regulate perceived offenses? Who are these folks who set the penalties and establish the rules? Are they more righteous than others? But, even sinful, mortal men have an innate desire for justice in some form. Natural law requires a price be paid. All have sinned and the true extent to which we fall short of God's standard is pretty inconceivable to us. The cost of that disparity is an eternal death spent in hell. BUT GOD! Through Jesus Christ, God demonstrates love toward His children by taking the penalty we owe upon Himself and paying our debt in full. It is by our identification with Christ in death: dying to self, taking up our cross, giving ourselves in sacrifice, and our identification with Christ in resurrection: being raised to a new life, leaving our sinful and fatal past behind, submitting to His commands, living a life of holiness, and walking in His Spirit, that we receive the grace and glory of God. Grace -- undeserved favor. And glory! Imagine that! What a far cry from retributive justice!

And another thing, not only do we receive it and benefit from it personally, but we pass the good news of God's liberation along. We work for God's kingdom here on earth in which all who are called, all who would take unto themselves the gospel, are living in freedom from the law and the bondage of sin and death. And, rather than every moment of peace requiring a price, we praise God for the assurance that every moment of peace comes by God's grace.