All for His Glory: March 2016

The Deep End of Grace

Something Andrew Murray once wrote stands out to me this morning as I (Chris) write. What he basically wrote is, (and I'm paraphrasing here) that Grace is not merely the response of God to us once we have sinned, but the power of God in Christ toward us not to sin. As I write on the subject of faith, I am struck by this fact: God not only extends His grace to us when we are faithless, but also in order that we would deepen in our faith in Him in the midst of our adversity. In other words, grace is not only the response of God to us when we fail, but also His method to grow us in our shortcomings all along. He is after all gracious by nature. Why shouldn't He be gracious from start to finish?

As I write I am confronted by the simple fact that the trial of faith is both a demonstration of God's gracious nature towards us and an opportunity to grow in our dependence upon it in our adversity. We just need the faith to see it. And there in lies the mysterious reality of our pilgrimage. We need faith to rely upon the grace of God in adversity and the grace of God to believe Him for the impossible. The gracious nature of God makes it possible to trust him in the impossible and the impossible reveals the gracious nature of God to us in spite of our faithlessness. So we are stuck in a paradox of sorts that leaves us helpless, revealing our creatureliness to us (and others) in the most uncomfortable ways.

But what does that mean for us in reality or simply put how does that impact our every day life? Well friends I will tell you truly, I am learning what this means myself every day. And what I have learned I will do my best to communicate here briefly(?).

For example the first thing I have learned traveling from place to place with my family nearly homeless in the great state of Washington is this. Walking by faith is not about us. It's not about how much faith we have or do not have. It's not about our ability or inability in a particular situation. Walking by faith is an ongoing revelation of who God is. It is a proclamation to us in the most mundane of circumstances that we are not who we think we are. We do not love God as much as we think we do. More to the point we do not trust Him in the way we think we do or secretly long to, nor can we. And that's the point.

Simply put, Jesus already did. And his faith has been applied to us already in the gospel and THAT is what God wants us to see. In the same way that the law reveals our need for Christ, in the same way that God's holiness reveals our sinfulness apart from Him, walking by faith reveals our own cowardice and faithlessness in Christ. And here's the rub. It's not so that God can point his finger at us and say, "Ha!" If that were the case we might be justified in our selfishness and fear. No. It is so he can free us from the practical tyranny of our selfishness and fearfulness. In a word it's so he can redeem us from the effects of our most innermost pride & sinfulness. But most importantly it's so he can cement in our heart the reality of his love for us in Christ. It's so that he can affirm to us our need for Him and then remind us that His love for us is not based on us or anything we can do or not do. It's so that he can fulfill the need he has exposed. It's so we understand his devotion to us is solely and squarely rooted in Him; that his love for us exists outside of us.

Wait. What? Yep. Walking by faith is yet another in a long list of ways that God deepens & solidifies our relationship with Him which ultimately works to benefit our relationship with others. Sit on that for a minute and dwell.

But lastly I have learned, (Wait for it) that this life of faith never ever ends (this side of eternity) because we are always in need of a fresh revelation of...God and the gospel, not ourselves. If our introspection only ends at what we need to do, or haven't done then we miss the point. Walking by faith is always about who God is and what He has done for us in Christ). And we are always in need of seeing that, because we are exceedingly selfish and broken. And this is the will of God for us. In our brokenness God reveals his love. And in His love he reveals His self and His son. Without our brokenness we do not seek Him. Without a need to walk by faith we would fail to see the measure of our brokenness.

So here I am Broken in Everett, waiting for God to open the impossible door, exposed like a raw nerve in the rough craving complacency and safety because I love my comfort. But God will not grant it to me because he has something infinitely higher to give to me: His self. It's not that he doesn't want to provide or hasn't already. He wants me to remember that this life is short. And my relationship with him is forever. He wants to bless me more than I would ever bless myself because he loves me in the right way. Where I do not. I always destroy myself with self love because it is rooted in destruction. He loves me and leads me toward life in his love because He is life, not the sort of counterfeit life I'm always chasing after, either. True Life. Real, lasting life.

So friends let me encourage you to seek new ways to walk by faith, to rest in the gracious nature of God, to grow in dependence upon his love and his provision, to feed upon his promises and be satisfied. I guarantee you if you do you will never be the same and always only in the best way. And that my friends is the update I have for you. That is the word I have to write. And I pray that it will bless you & strip you of what's hurting you like it has me. Lord bless you for your faithfulness to our family. You are always in my thoughts and prayers as I travel the road with my family. May He be with you as He has with us.

-The Broniste Clan

Down to the Nitty Gritty:

Praises:

-For a warm place to sleep each night!

-For kids that are great even in hard changes!

-For the amazing ways God provides in unexpected ways!

Prayer requests:

1. An amazing Job for Chris where he can grow and that will provide for all our needs.

2. For a great house to live! Either to rent or buy! There is a housing shortage in the area. That He would give us wisdom on what to do and make it clear!

3. For our kids as every day there are new challenges and disappointments. Pray that God would give us the wisdom and grace to help them through this time.

Photos With the Fam!