Big Story
“Think about how much of our faith is beyond our rational ability to figure out. The Bible says that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. What? You can’t be born from a virgin. We believe that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man, how can that be? That Jesus Christ on the cross bore all my sins and paid my sin debt and took the wrath of God for me. How can that happen? The Bible says that God raised him from the dead. Dead people don’t come back to life.
Every part of the gospel requires faith. God made those promises and He is able to fulfil them. Even when I can’t figure it all out, I choose to believe. - Tony Walliser
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
I’m not sure why, but grace is hard for me to understand. I just seem to have a hard time wrapping my brain around it.
Think about it, an omnipotent God sends His only Son to live a sinless life, die on a criminal’s cross, be buried in a borrowed tomb and live again so that we might have life... might have a relationship with Him... may one day go to heaven. And we deserve none of it. In fact, deserve death for our sins, death for our irreverence, death for the lives that we have chosen to live.
This Son showing grace and mercy and love like the world has never seen and never known.
And all I have to do is repent, accept this gift and trust Him as Savior?
As true as it is, that’s a big story.
That’s a lot to take in.
Faith doesn’t require that you understand it all.” - Tony Walliser
Why would such a big God do such a thing for such a little man (as big as I think I am)?
Why would He give such unearned, unmerited favor? Why would He give such mercy?
Definitely not because we deserved it. Definitely not because we somehow earned it, but because this God, who when we gaze upon His majesty, contemplate His immensity and recognize His infinite power that strikes awe, respect and reverent fear within us, loves us. This God loves us - you and me.
He is a God of wrath and a God of love. We are His creation, His children. And He loves us and gives us grace and forgiveness, mercy and hope, faith and love.
It’s a big story… but even bigger truth.
O Lord, thank you for your big story. Strengthen my faith and help my unbelief. Help me give to others the grace and mercy you have given me. Help me show the world around me the love that you have shown to me. O Lord, thank you for your love, your blessings, the cross and the resurrection. Lord, I am grateful that You give me grace anyway despite my failures. I just want to stop for a moment and say Thank You Lord. In Your Son Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
