The Race of Grace
Acts 20:22-24 But now I must obey the Spirit and go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit tells me that troubles and even jail wait for me. I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I finish my work. I want to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.
You’ve probably heard that saying that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Great saying. Great theory. But let’s be honest. When the going gets tough, all too often we grind to a halt.
And in particular, when the going gets tough, we’re so often tempted to do the wrong thing. There’s a reason for that. The Bible tells us that the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, waiting for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
He always waits until we’re at our weakest before he pounces – at which point, boom! The grind of life turns into a grind of guilt. So what do you do with that?
Acts 20:22-24 But now I must obey the Spirit and go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit tells me that troubles and even jail wait for me. I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I finish my work. I want to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.
The Apostle Paul, who wrote that, was the first to admit that he’d made so many mistakes amidst the very tough life that God had called him to. But, more than perhaps any other biblical writer, Paul knew about, he relied upon, he lent into, he imposed upon God’s grace. And it’s that grace that he was driven to proclaim across the known world, even though ultimately it would cost him his life.
We each have that choice to make – the grind of guilt, or the race of grace.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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