If you are my sibling-in-Christ, then I know you had a meeting with God at the cross. With mercy, he stripped off the dirty, ugly, often tattered and worn-out life clothes, and as Psalm 103 says, he removed those rags as far as the east is from the west. At that moment, you became clean. And vulnerable.
I can’t speak for you, but I know I don’t do clean well. By the end of the day, I will have evidence of everything I’ve eaten and a lot of what I’ve said, all over me. And vulnerable? When I find myself in unknown territory, I suddenly feel inadequate.
Mercy removed our guilt, but clean and vulnerable sounds hard, doesn’t it? Well, we can thank God that he didn’t stop with just mercy. What else happened at the cross? Rest assured, we didn’t catch the Almighty off guard.
God told the prophet, Jeremiah, that before he ever formed him in his mother’s womb, he gave him an appointment. Us too! God had a good and perfect will for each of us before we were ever born. What is your purpose? What is his plan with you?
You may not have it titled or thought much about it, but you know at least a little. You can probably think of times when you were poked or prodded in a different direction. Maybe you remember a time being squeezed or molded into a different thought pattern. Or perhaps, you’ve had a barrier thrown up on one of life’s paths while an entire wall collapsed on another.
That’s divine direction and holy intervention. God’s plan with you is in full motion, and it’s invading every part of your life.
So, what if, at the cross, God had said, “Welcome to the family! I’ve got a chore for you. Good luck with that.”
Huh?
He didn’t. No, what God did when he bathed you in mercy, was to immediately clothe you in grace. You are now dressed in the best. Those ugly and tattered rags are gone! Marvelous grace adorns you. Do you know what the most amazing, priceless thing about your new grace clothes is? They will always fit you. Grace will dress you for every occasion in your life. Every situation!
God told Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” Paul’s weaknesses could have been physical ailments, or the authorities questioning his apostleship, or a combination of many things.
For you – whether your weakness is a limitation you’ve allowed yourself, or a constraint that someone else has placed on you, know that you are just like Paul. God has an endless supply of grace. Where you are weak, he is all powerful.
What happened at the cross? Mercy. God’s Plan. Our Purpose. Grace. God’s provisions are perfect, aren’t they? We serve an awesome King.
If you haven’t met God at the cross, I pray you don’t delay.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2: 13