Undeserved Victory

Good Monday morning! Okay, the post-Super Bowl morning has arrived. Danny Woodhead scored a touchdown. That is quite an accomplishment on an international stage, but not an individual accomplishment. He gets the moment, but others contributed. What would it feel like to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, but have no part in the effort? Say that you are sitting in your La-Z-Boy at home and you make a wish. Suddenly, you are running through the end zone with the ball in your hand and the enormous noise of the Super Bowl hits you like a wave. Your image is on the big screens, the scoreboard is flashing your name, and a big lineman almost knocks you out cold with a pro-style head butt. Only one small problem. A wish is not earning the accomplishment. You have done nothing to deserve this sudden fame and glory. You are just a normal person sitting in a comfy chair watching from a distance. After enjoying the moment, someone asks, "Who are you?" You might even wonder, "How did I get here?" The moment might even become embarrassing.

Those who brought their teams to the Super Bowl put in weeks of training and months of hard physical and mental effort to arrive at that point. Those who scored points did so on the effort of the entire team. We would have trouble accepting a player who trotted out of the locker room sometime in the fourth quarter, and then ran over to the end zone to do a touchdown dance in his spotless uniform. What's up with this guy? We have the same trouble in our own salvation. What is this great thing that we can have with no effort? It's kind of like walking out to accept the big trophy while the crowd cheers, all the while knowing that you are not even on the team. Jesus did all the work, and I get to be saved.

So many religious systems have sprung up in this world to pander to that desire in all of us to earn our salvation. Many a person has tried to bring sacrifices to an altar that is closed. We try to make payments on a note that has been paid in full. We must make just that one more payment on a mortgage deed that has already been signed and handed to us. Surely there is some part left that I can claim as part of my own effort? Not so! We put effort into not accepting the free gift of salvation, and all the effort we put in just makes it worse. Perhaps we can ease the burden a bit in this matter. Try passing it on.

Accepting the free gift comes naturally when we pass it on. We must accept God's free gift of grace in order to hand it off to someone else. Since the gift has not been earned, we can more easily share the glory with others. In fact, it feels much better to spread this gift around. I didn't earn it, I very much want to share it. Come one, come all. Enjoy the free gift of God's salvation, bought and paid for by His Son, Jesus Christ. Undeserved grace feels, well, undeserved, let me share some of it around.

Go with Christ today. Sorry if your team lost yesterday.
Bucky