Grace v Justice

Grace has been described as generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved. It’s shocking in a way to know that when we say sorry to God he forgives us unconditionally an forgets about our sin.

I’ve been reflecting recently on how grace fits within today’s laws and where justice comes into play.

Recently I met a young man who’d unfortunately made some serious mistakes and was facing jail.

As I began to talk to him I had an overwhelming sense from God that I should pray for him and plead with God to take away his jail sentence. As the conversation developed and I asked if I could pray for him, it sparked a huge conversation about having a faith in God. The conversation ended with the agreement that if the jail sentence was cancelled then it must have been God’s doing. My prayer is that I will see this young man next week and he can tell me that God has done a miracle in his life.

This is a very hard subject to talk about because I know people would argue with me and say ‘where’s the justice in that?’. In many ways I would agree with people like that and say that wrong actions have consequences and in this case a jail sentence is deserved.

However if I could choose between a young person going to jail or a young person experiencing God’s miraculous power in his life which changes him for ever, resulting in a new life which seeks to love God and others. I would choose God’s intervention every time.

One of the aims within my youth ministry is that I help young people experience God and if I think I can help this young man see God’s grace in his own life then I reckon I’m doing the right thing.

What do you think?

Simon Bentley is on his 2nd year placement with Nottingham YfC 

 

Our God is a big God


I was sat amongst some friends this week and we listened to song called 'You are' by Bradford Church . We spent a few minutes thinking about the song and we were asked what the one thing was that stuck out to us . When listening to this song the words that stuck out to me was ‘You are’. In the song it talks about all the things that God is...

“You are the strength for the those in need , You are the defender of the weak Your everything we need, You are our God”

It can be so easy in our everyday lives to forget how big God is ! , We can forget that God is interested in the small things in our lives as well as the big. God is all the things above and so much more . I was challenged to try to include God in all parts of my life not just the big things.

Do we truly understand where God is or do we put Him in a box and see Him where we want Him to be. It is easy to see that God is there when we worship or when we sometimes pray, but do we see God when people are hurting or struggling? Let us show others that actually we see God in the smallest things like a baby smile or a hug to someone in need. Where will you acknowledge God this week and where are you going to take Him over the next few days?

Emily Swinburne / Richard Dawson

Why is it that we have a default mechanism of what we think is fair or not?
We are about to start a week of lessons in a couple of schools titled ' It's not fair!'. Even my 6 year old girl and 3 year old boy seem to have the saying on a loop when it comes to what they can or can't have. Now i know for them it is not necessarily about justice, for them it is more about what they want, but in all of us we seem to have a deep rooted feeling of what is wrong and right. Listening, as i do, to radio 5 in the mornings and their discussions, it is plain to see that what one persons justice, is not neccesarily anothers, as we all put our own slant on it, like my kids. One of the things in the Bible that i really love is the fact that when Jesus rose from the dead, he didn't appear to the most obvious of people, he didn't appear to those whom he thought would be the ones he should appear to. In a culture where men were seen as the trusted ones, the important ones, and women the lesser of the sexes, he appeared to Mary and Joanna. How awesome was that, it would have been easier to appear to his disciples first (as they didn't seem to believe the girls), and to most of us, we woudl probably take the easiest option. Thank God that Jesus didn't. In that little bit of the ressurection story, Jesus showed that justice and fairness ooze out of his father in heaven. I might just see how i do today. Richard