When Deep in a Hole -- Stop Digging

“My Grace is sufficient for you.”  Jesus treats all of Father’s Sons with basic equality.  So that statement to the great apostle Paul, the chief of sinners, is also applicable to you and me.  His grace is sufficient for us.

So, what difference does this make?  Sure, we all like to receive grace.  But, why did Jesus make this commitment to us?  What does this word sufficient mean for us?  Why did He not just say, “I will give you grace.”?

The sufficiency of His grace is important because we all need to know we are not going to run out of grace just before we get to the end of the race.  Why would we continue if we thought that we were going to run with all our strength but just before the finish line we would fall into a hole from which there was no escape?  It is really important to us that Jesus is in this relationship all the way.  His grace is sufficient to keep us safe to the end.

Now, that aspect of the sufficiency of His grace is very important.  Because it is true we can be certain that we will not accidentally lose our adoption papers.  We will continue through the entire eternal realm to be sons of the Most High.  Moreover, there is another more subtle aspect to this sufficiency of grace that many people have never noticed.  Let me illustrate with an incident I wish was hypothetical instead of historic. 

One day I was in the midst of a disagreement with my wife.   As we talked our words became more and more intense.  Suddenly, she decided she did not like this conversation.  So, she quit talking with me.  She gave me the “silent treatment”.  I felt disrespected.  I felt rejected.  I blew up in a rage of anger.  I said very hurtful things to her as I left slamming the door behind me.  I was wrong.  I forgot I was loved.  I sinned against her and against God.  After a while I cooled off and had to admit to myself that I was wrong; that I had sinned.  Fortunately, I am married to a very gracious lady.  When I asked her to, she quickly forgave me.

Ah but, now I had to be confronted by my Heavenly Father.  When He asked me about the fact that I had deeply hurt the child of God He had entrusted to my care, I was required to confess I sinned, I failed, I broke the covenant of trust He had made with me.  When I confessed, He was faithful; He had already forgiven me.  But, He wanted to also wash me from all the unrighteousness of what was in me.  He wanted me not only forgiven but also clean and changed so I would not simply repeat the performance.  I hope it has not happened with you.  But, with me, there were lots of times I wanted to be forgiven but I did not really want to be cleaned.  The scrub brushes rub me raw.  They strip away things I have grown comfortable holding as my own.

To start the cleansing process, Father would ask me why I acted like I did.  Frankly, most of the time, I hid from the cleansing.  I, like Adam, would say, “God it was the woman you gave me. “  Father always responded to that by acknowledging that as long as I said it was her fault, there was nothing in me that I would let Him cleanse.  So, before long, I would be back having repeated the same sin -- usually worse than the time before.  Again, Father would seek to cleanse me.  Sadly, often, again I blamed the woman.  After several times of this, Father pointed out that He had told me to present that woman to myself as one who is blameless.  Oh, nuts, if I could not blame her who could I blame? 

After I grasped that concept, I became more honest with Father and said, “It was my fault.  I take all the blame.  It is not her fault.  Even if it looks like her fault that is only because I have failed to wash her with the water of the Word so it remains mine."  When I had a firm grasp of this concept, I became a truly miserable man.  Every repeated failure simply became more proof of what a miserable failure as a husband and father I was.  I was ready to just quit.  The more I tried the more I failed.  The more I failed the more the enemy kept piling the accusations upon me.  The more He accused me, the more I agreed with him.  I really became a self-hating miserable man.  I was a miserable man on the inside and a miserable person for my family to endure.  I was in a deep hole and digging furiously.

When I eventually slowed down my digging long enough to hear the quiet voice of Jesus over the screaming of the enemy’s accusations, I heard Him say to me again, “My grace is sufficient for you.”  It sure did not feel sufficient.  But, that is what He said.  Now, faith comes by hearing Him who is the Word of God.  So, armed with that tiny seed of faith, the next time I went before the Father to be cleansed I told Him the truth.  Father, it is not my fault I failed.  Jesus promised me sufficient grace.  I did not have enough grace to act right.  It is Jesus fault, not mine.  At that point, Jesus spoke up.  He said, “Father that is right put all of Stuart’s sin and unrighteousness on my account.  Wow, the weight came off of me.  The hole of accusations got filled in by His grace and I was back to being able to stand in my armor.  I was not yet made able to act righteously, but, I was clean and the enemy could not beat me up.

It was only after I allowed Jesus to accept the blame Jesus died to claim, that I could get out of the hole.  Only then could I see the Truth with which He wanted to equip me.  Only then could I once again have self control.  This is why it is so important that you genuinely hear Him.  His grace is sufficient for you, too.