A sermon? seriously...

So, yesterday I heard a life changing sermon. I wasn't at church. I wasn't watching TV. I wasn't even listening to the radio. I made it all up in my head.

I meet with a friend of mine for coffee in the morning and he is always talking about the "Grace of God." "Oh by the grace of God... If not by the grace of God... Grace of God this and that." I have no idea what he is talking about.

My life doesn't feel full of grace, it feels empty sometimes... In fact most people who talk about the grace of God make me feel worse about myself than better. They make me feel like I never accomplish anything and if I finally do, I feel like I don't say the right things and give the credit to God instead of myself. They make me feel small and insignificant.

But as my friend and I were talking, he said something that triggered an avalanche in my head. He said, "there is nothing good apart from the grace of God. If it were left up to us we would destroy everything. Our marriages, our kids, our futures, everything"

My friend and I said our good byes and went about our daily business. But, for the first time I started to think about what "good" really means in my life. Good is anything joyful, delightful, rewarding, satisfying, fulfilling, etc.. So anything joyful, delightful, rewarding, satisfying, or fulfilling is by the grace of God. So that means that anytime throughout my day that I may feel anything "good" it is the grace of God. God actually in my life... wait a minute.

(So this is where I literally had to stop my day of work, sit down and write everything down on piece of paper.)

Why? Why is it that anytime throughout my day that I may feel anything "good" it is the grace of God? (here's where I dive back into some of my schooling lodged back there in my brain someplace) It is the grace of God because this is not what we deserve. If we got what we deserved we would get hell and death, we deserve to be cast away from God. Why so harsh? Because hell and death, simply put, is the absence of God. God gave us as humans a unique independence. We have chose, and unfortunately everyday we continue to choose to separate ourselves from God in all sorts of fashions. We are continually separating ourselves farther from God than we could ever pull ourselves closer. God is life. God is love. God doesn't experience like we do, God is and we experience his presence. That means that any feelings of good I may have or anything good that happens in my life is the grace of God, something I don't deserve, Him working in my life and giving me an experience of himself.

Then, the life changing word popped into my head: Privilege. So if I deserve to be cast away from God, than any aspect of his character in my life is a privilege. Anything good that happens to me is a privilege, not a right or something I have earned. A privilege, interesting thought...

Running is a privilege, being able to read is a privilege, forgiveness is a privilege, another day of waking up is a privilege, having people care about me is a privilege. Every single opportunity in my life is a privilege.

Every single opportunity in my life is a privilege... as I thought this over my heart began to fill with life and color. I looked around and saw a homeless guy riding a bicycle. I no longer wondered where God was in this mans life. I saw God in this mans ability to even walk and ride a bike. That he lived in this country where jobs are available if you apply yourself. A country where soup kitchens reach out to those in need. The fact that he even had a bike. That he had no obligations to anything. I saw God in the fact that he's independent and gets to choose how he wants to deal with life.

By the grace of God... He gives me life and oppurtunity everyday. Even when I don't think I need Him there or even want Him there...