Where are your wounds?

Alan Paton wrote many remarkable works, including 'Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful.' In his own words he imagines what it would be like to meet God face-to-face and what the conversation would focus on. He writes:

"When I go up there, which is my intention, the Big Judge will say to me,
Where are your wounds?
and if I say I haven’t any, he will say, "Was there nothing to fight for?"
I couldn’t face that question."

Wow, these words really struck a nerve. Where are your wounds?

How often do I refrain from some Godly action, because I am afraid of the wounds I may incur? When we look around us there are plenty of things to fight for, but perhaps we need to overcome our fears first. 

Thought: Jesus was willing to show Thomas his wounds, and it was this encounter that changed Thomas' life.

1 Peter 2:24 - He himself bore our sins in his body on the stake, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness — by his wounds you were healed.

Living in Grace

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A connection between pain and healing

"In this crazy world, there is an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But in the eyes of God, they're never separated. Where there is pain, there is healing. Where there is mourning, there is dancing. Where there is poverty, there is the kingdom." - Henri Nouwen

These words of Henri Nouwen draw our attention to this following verse from 1 Peter, which shows us that the healing work of Jesus is done through his brokenness. His wounds offer us the gift of healing. It does seem hard to get our heads around this, but in time, we slowly comprehend this mystery.

1 Peter 2:24 - “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

Jesus' death gives us life.

His pain offers us healing.

His loneliness invites us into the fellowship of the Father. 

Living in Grace

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Guardian of our souls

"He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross,
so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.
By his wounds you are healed.
Once you were like sheep who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls." - 1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)

The phrase that struck me in today's reading is 'Guardian of your souls.' 

This speaks to me of the promise that our Saviour has finished the work of salvation on the cross. When we place our lives in his care, we will still face trials and struggles, but Jesus remains the Guardian of our Souls. 

Perhaps, it is an ancient image that we should borrow for our present culture and hold onto the gift that it offers us. The world may attack us from the outside, but our Christ remains the protector of our souls. This is what Jesus was saying to his disciples, when he urged them not to be worried about what people could do to their physical bodies.

Matthew 10:28 - “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul."

Living in Grace

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Identity

Identity is such an important thing for us as people. We want to know who we are and we also want to know that we belong somewhere. When Peter writes to the early church he reminds them that there was a time when they didn't really belong, but through the mercy of God and through the love of Jesus they have been given a new identity.

“Once you had no identity as a people;
    now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;    now you have received God’s mercy." - 1 Peter 2:10

Living in the 21st century is, in some ways, no different than struggling in the 1st century - once we know we have an identity and that we 'belong' this gives us a reason to live. It is Christ who gives us our new identity - we are children of God.

What do you think?

“When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” -  Ralph Ellison

Living in Grace
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Read the fine print

“Following Jesus isn’t something you can do at night where no one notices. It’s a twenty-four-hour-a-day commitment that will interfere with your life. That’s not the small print—that’s a guarantee.” – Kyle Idleman

I like this quote because it tells the truth about following Jesus. It reminds me that if I want to really follow Jesus then it will take 'ALL' of me. There is no catch in the fine print - that is the Guarantee. Christianity will consume your life - it is meant to do that. It is meant to turn everything upside down. 

If we want to follow the Jesus way, then we had better prepare ourselves for a bumpy ride.

1 Peter 2:21 - "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."

Living in Grace
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Indulging your ego

"Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cosy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul" - 1 Peter 2:11 (Message) 

The more we believe that 'this' life is all that there is, the more we will try to make ourselves cosy in it. The scriptures point to another life beyond this earthly life - an existence that is chosen for us by God and we are invited to choose this 'Eternal Life.' Sadly though, many of us spend a lot of time indulging our ego's at the expense of our souls.

What do you feel?

Living in Grace
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