Depravity

Last night at Salt Company I preached on Romans 5:12-21. What would Romans be without more bad news about the abyss that has separated us from God? But the conclusion in verse 20 is so unfair, or too fair, however you want to look at it: "where sin abounded, grace abounded much more."

It's the paradox of grace: the more you sin, the more grace you get. As one Puritan said it (click here for the Puritan prayer...one more reason I'm a metropuritan), "great sin draws out great grace."

The greater your separation, depravity, emptiness, corruption, sinfulness- the greater your capacity to love what Jesus has done for you. To quote our Rabbi, "He who has been forgiven much, loves much..."

The closer I get to Jesus, the greater I cling to him. I've been worked over by Ed Noble's last two messages (tongue and eyes) in their "Relational IQ" series. And I can't wait for this weekend, as Jeff Dodge gave me a preview of Matthew 8. I want to see people as Jesus saw them. I want to speak "micro-blessings" over people throughout the day (and not letting a single negative word come out of my pie hole...)

Also, I had the great privilege of meeting one of the college students who was reborn when I gave the invitation to receive Jesus a couple weeks ago at TSC. God is at work here. And in me.

Shalom. (a great micro-blessing to speak over people...)