Getting Back To The Basics

This past week has been full of lessons from God. They are some of the simplest lessons to learn. I have been reading the book by Brennan Manning called The Rafamuffin Gospel. In this book Brennan writes to encourage Christians to realize the true meaning of God's grace and love. He writes all about how Jesus ate and entertained with the least of these, and we too are the least of these. We cannot earn anything from God, but rather he has chosen to lavish his love on us.

When I was reading this book, God really worked on my heart. He taught me that I am his child and nothing can take me away from his love. Here is an excerpt that really taught me a lot.

"The question which the gospel of grace puts to us is simply this: Who shall separate you from the love of Christ? What are you afraid of?
Are you afraid that your weakness could separate you from the love of Christ? It can’t.
Are you afraid that your inadequacies could separate you from the love of Christ? They can’t.
Are you afraid that your inner poverty could separate you from the love of Christ? It can’t.
Difficult marriage, loneliness, anxiety over the children’s future? They can’t.
Economic hardship, racial hatred, street crime? They can’t.
Rejection by loved ones or the suffering of loved ones? They can’t.
Persecution by authorities, going to jail? They can’t.
Nuclear war? It can’t.
Mistakes, fears, uncertainties? They can’t.
The gospel of grace calls out: Nothing can ever separate you from the love of God made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord. You must be convinced of this, trust it, and never forget to remember. Everything else will pass away, but the love of Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Faith will become vision, hope will become possession, but the love of Jesus Christ that is stronger than death endures forever. In the end, it is the one thing you hang onto."

This really struck a cord with me. I have always heard this truth, but it really sunk in when I read it. Paul talks about this same thing in Romans 8:28-29. Paul writes "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Brennan was right on with calling us to realize that nothing can separate us from the love and grace and mercy of God. God loves just how we are. We don't have to worry about pleasing other people or living up to anyone's standards except God's.

This sounds so simple and probably have all heard it a hundred times before. But sometimes we just need to get back to the basics of our faith to truly find God's grace. We need to get rid of everything that hinders us--our fears, our desires, the traditions of the church, and our selves. Once we get back to the basics, we will find God's grace and love.