The Odd Couple: Grit and Grace

Some things require more than grace! To grace must be added a generous portion of grit. Grace is God’s part. Grit is ours. The Bible makes it perfectly clear that Noah FOUND grace, but it also makes it clear that Noah did not discover a customized, fully equipped, self contained, sink proof ocean greyhound in his back yard. He FURNISHED THE GRIT to build this monstrosity of a schooner. It was Noah’s grit that gripped the hammer pounding nails into the gopher wood for 100 years. God furnished the grace. Noah furnished the grit. God is not our personal valet to jump into action at our whim. He will always have grace for us in time of need, but He will never become our handy-man, or yard man or butler. God sent angels to do what Peter could not do when he was locked up in a prison in downtown Jerusalem, but the angel was not required to put Peter’s shoe on his feet and wrap the musty, wrinkled cape around his neck. God will always be ready to step in and do what we can not do, but will not relieve us of adding grit to His grace for the miracle to be completed. Adam was not granted favorite son status when he inherited the Garden of Eden. It was his honeymoon suite but not a retirement village. With his privileges granted by God’s grace came responsibilities. The garden did not contain a lean-t stocked with crosscut saws, riding lawn mowers and a wide variety of power tools. There was no labor pool from which to employ day labor assistance and not one cordless hedge clipper could be found. God did what Adam could not do but required Adam to do the rest. We know what grace is. It is the unmerited favor of God. It is unearned but unending. But what is grit? The dictionary tells us that it means to have stubborn courage. Robert F. Kennedy said, “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events…it is from numberless acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.” People with grit shape history and not necessarily by quantum leaps and legendary episodes but in numberless, small acts of courage. · Grit is getting a grip on grace and refusing to let go. · Grit is standing fast in faith when running would be much easier. · Grit is having guts to believe God in the face of life’s storms. · Grit is stick-to-itivensss when you are tired to the bone. · Grit is persistency trudging on when problems abound. · Grit is determination to trample defeat under your feet regardless. H. Ross Perot spoke with authority when he said, “Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success, they give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.” The problem is not a shortage of grace. God’s grace is always and everywhere sufficient. The shortage is a dismal shortage of grit. It is to this end that I Corinthians 13:13 becomes such a motivation to furnish God’s grace with our grit. I love to read it from The Message. It says, “But for now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly.” The three things that we must have girt to do are: First, have the grit to trust steadily in God. It takes grit at times to trust God’s grace. We see so much “un-grace” that it can cause us to question God’s grace. It reminds me of Dr. Marshall Craig who was preaching at a southern university and urging people to come to Jesus Christ and accept His grace. They began to come from the smartest scholars to the most outstanding athletes. Then from the rear a helpless crippled young man started crawling down the isle. Finally, kneeling at the feet of Dr. Craig, he pleaded, “Sir, you said God had a place for a man. I know God has a place for these other people, “but sir, does God have a place for a wreck like me?” Through his tears, Dr. Craig replied, “Son, God has just been waiting for a wreck like you.” The young man had grit to crawl down the isles on hands and knees, and God had grace to save him. Get a grip on that reality and don’t let it go. Secondly, maintain enough grit to have unswerving hope. Graceless geezers will limit God’s grace and cremate the last ray of hope for people in hopeless situations. They are prophets of gloom and doom. We all need hope and die without it…angrily, slowly and morbidly. You may be flirting with or infatuated with anger and feel justified to do so. You may feel helpless, hopeless and hostile, but you are not outside the perimeters of God’s grace. You need grit to stiffen up, straighten up and look up. Grit will help you to see hope through the dense fog of despair. The net of God’s grace is underneath you, and hope is His canopy over you. And finally, have enough grit to love extravagantly. Knowing how to love is to know how to win. I Corinthians 13:8 declares, “Love never fails.” The more you sow the more you get. Hannah Moore penned it so beautifully like this. “Love never reasons, but profusely gives---gives like a thoughtless prodigal, its all---and trembles than lest it has done too little.” Have enough grit to give love what ever the cost. It’s the only thing that will truly last! To tell someone you love them today may take a lot of grit, but it will be compensated by a lavish supply of God’s grace. Gritting It Out, Pastor Jimmy & Bob