Grace Misunderstood...

“Grace misunderstood will always result in jealousy.” (Ravi Zacharias)

I heard this quote this week and it really went deep inside and pierced something in my heart. Then, conviction came à I do that. Better yet, I am doing that…

You see, I have had a bit of a struggle lately with jealousy. And, I really didn’t understand why. I couldn’t come up with a good “reason” why I felt jealous. And, on some level, I think I didn’t really care. This person had hurt me, hurt my feelings, and I was angry, still…

After I heard this quote, and felt the conviction that applied to my situation, I began to dig a little deeper. What in the world does it mean to “misunderstand” grace? I read and studied Scripture, looked up some particular word meanings, and prayed for the Lord to reveal to me what I needed to do to correct this problem. The only thing I have been able to come up with… unforgiveness.

When people hurt us, or at least when they hurt me, I think unforgiveness can be the largest temptation. And, if I hold onto that unforgiveness, it is unlikely that I will understand or agree with the grace offered by others, and maybe even the grace offered to them by God.

Grace, in the Old Testament, comes for a root word that means, “to act graciously or mercifully toward someone; to be compassionate”. It is God’s unmerited favor. And since He gives that grace (and forgiveness) to me, who in the world do I think I am to withhold it from someone else? And, if I continue to hold onto my hurt feelings and unforgiveness, will the Lord forgive me? His Word says not… (Matthew 6:14).

I think one of the hardest things for me to learn during this process is that, no matter how good a job I think I am doing at keeping all these struggles a secret, I really can’t. This stuff will come out one way or another because, after all, “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

So, I encourage you as I begin myself, examine your heart for unforgiveness, jealousy, grace misunderstood. And, in the process may we continually be working towards a higher level of righteousness à towards being like the One who has saved us…