Daily Devotions

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7

My weekends end on Sunday nights at about 9:00 PM. The last two things that I get to do before going home are leading our weekly recovery worship service, which we call 6TEN and then spending time with teenagers. Last night, the teenagers who gathered were boys who live in a local group home for drug addicts in recovery.

These boys show up for 6TEN whenever their weekend caregivers are willing to pack up the van and drive them over. They come voluntarily, willingly, even eagerly. They think it is cool to go to a worship service that doesn’t feel like “church”. They even come up to be anointed with oil and encouraged with prayer. They like the food we serve after worship. They think it is awesome that we can play basketball afterwards.

I believe that God is calling our congregation to be a center for healing. More and more, I believe healing is salvation. I believe God wants to pour the healing power of grace into every crack of human brokenness and God uses people to do that.

Sometimes that brokenness is as IN YOUR FACE as addictive illnesses or co-addictive behaviors. Sometimes it is as simple as grief and loneliness or as common as trying to raise healthy kids, enjoy our marriages or dating relationships, and maintaining our sanity in our daily work in the world.

There are broad cracks in human community due to race, class, and culture. God’s grace is healing balm there as well. And God uses people there too.

So I read these words from Titus and I realize that its description of life without God describes me and just about everyone I know – foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable, hating one another – but I know we aren’t stuck there. God doesn’t leave us there. God comes to us to bring us to a new place, a new way of life, a new way of being that is healthy, holy, and the hope of the world.

All by God’s grace and mercy. All by the willingness to show up, let go, and let God. I WANT that in my life!

Dear Lord, thank you for all the ways that you open new doors to a new way of living. Thank you for the wonders of your love and mercy and the ways that you bring those gifts into our lives through people willing to show up for one another. May your healing Spirit rest on and work in our lives today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This entry was posted on September 22, 2014 at 4:36 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.