what grace can do

i read stg pretty interesting yesterday night and i thought i'd share it here. this is what Max Lucado wrote and i thought it rather insightful.

"The prodigal son trudges up a path. His pig stink makes passersby walk wide circles around him, but he doesnt notice. With eyes on the ground, he rehearses his speech: "Father"- his voice barely audible- "i have sinned against heaven and against you. i'm not worthy to be called your son." He rehashes the phrases, wondering if he should say more, less, or make a U-turn to the barnyard... How could his father forgive him? Maybe i could offer to pay off the credit cards. He's so focused on penance planning that he fails to hear the sound of his father... running!
The dad embraces the mud-layered boy as if he were a returning war hero. He commands the servants to bring a robe, ring, and sandals, as if to say, "No boy of mine is going to look like a pigpen peasant. Fire up the grill. Bring on the drinks. It's time for a party!"
Big brother meanwhile stands on the porch and sulks. "No one ever gives me a party," he mumbles, arms crosed. The father tries to explain, but the jealous son wont listen. He huffs and shrugs and grumbles something about cheap grace, saddles his high horse and rides off. But you knew that. you've read the parable of the gracious father and the hostile brother (Luke 15:11-32)
But have you heard what happened next? Have you read the second chapter? it's a page turner. The older brother resolves to rain on the forgiveness parade. If dad wont exact justice on the boy, i will. "Nice robe there, little brother," he tells him one day. "Better keep it clean. One spot and dad will send you to the cleaners with it." The younger brother waves him away, but the next time he sees his father, he quickly cheeks his robe for stains.
A few days later big brother warns about the ring. "Quite a piece of jewelry dad gave you. He prefers that you wear it on the thumb." "The thumb? He didnt tell me that." "some things we're just supposed to know." "but it wont fit my thumb." "What's your goal- pleasing our father or your own personal comfort?" the spiritual monitor sibes, walking away.
Big brother isnt finished. With the pleasantness of a dyseptic IRS auditor, he taunts, "IF dad sees you with loose laces, he'll take the sandles back." "He will not. They were a gift. He wouldnt....would he?" The ex-prodigal then leans over to snug the strings. As he does, he spots a smudge on his robe. Trying to rub it off, he realises the ring is on a finger, not his thumb. That's when he hears his father's voice. "Hello, Son."
There the boy sits, wearing a spotted robe,loose laces, and a misplaced ring. Overcome with fear, he reacts with a "Sorry, dad" and turns and run.
Too many tasks. keeping the robe spotless, the ring positioned, the sandals snug- who could meet standards? Gift preservation begins to wear on the young man. He avoids the father he feels he cant please. He quits wearing the gifts he cant maintain. He even begins longing for the simpler days of the pigpen. "No one hounded me there.""

identify with this story?

of course this was not exactly in the bible but well, if u turn to galatians you'll find stg similar. Paul writes of how leaglistic jews were turning from what Lucado writes "grace receiving to law keeping" Their happiness was taken away once they decided that the law was what defined their lives. Arent we the same sometimes as well? we know we have been saved by grace and grace alone but so often, we try to be prefect. we try to live up to what the world deems as "christians". and we get so discouraged when we dont meet the standards. when our "big brother"-our inner voice taunts at us, that we arent doing well enough that God would think poorly of us because of how we do certian things. but the law/works is not what defines us, it is grace that defines us. until and until we understand this truth we will never stop trying to clean away the spot on our robes coz we are afraid that our dad would see it or keep tightening the laces on our sandals etc etc. (you get what i mean)

dont get me wrong, the bible does say that we have to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling", yes that is true. i realise one thing. that when we understnad this grace that we have been given so FREELY, whatever we do, we will do it to please God, and we do it not with our strength but with His. and it's amazing. coz when we begin to accept this grace as a gift from God,we will keep our robes spotless not because of fear of getting found out, or the guilt of not wearing the ring on our thumbs but it becomes a willing living out of a godly life.

see what understanding this grace can do for us? serve the Lord and live your life with gratefulness and joy. remember, here, gratefulness is an action word. Get what i mean? :)