April 22/23

From the Pastor’s Desk –Pastor Alex Poon

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Three times Paul plead for his trouble – his “thorn in the flesh” – to be removed from him. He longed for his calamity to be removed. And the answer was no.

Instead, God offered him something even more sufficient than the stripping away of pain. Elimination was not the answer.

Rather, something is… grace.

Grace is often defined as “undeserved favor”. It is credit, love, kindness, approval, or acceptance that we can do nothing to earn. We bring nothing, but we are given everything.

I wonder if you’ve ever felt this sort of favor? Have you wronged someone only to be accepted still? Where does this kind of grace come from?

I was reminded recently of a simple but effective metaphor that helped me understand.

What if my friend spilt coffee on my computer? What would make it truly possible for me to forgive my friend? I cannot simply forget the wrongdoing deed – because each time I reached for my computer; it would no longer be available for me. To truly resolve the matter, the debt of the computer must be paid. Either my friend must buy me a new one, or I must buy myself a new one – and only when I have a computer to use again, can the issue truly be settled, and forgiveness made possible.

This is how grace is offered. Through the atoning, substituting work of Christ. Christ takes our place on the cross. He absorbs our debt, in our place. He switched places with us, and now the issue is settled. We are assured of our pardon. We are truly and completely forgiven. The debt we owed for our rebellion against God has been paid. God’s justice and mercy have intertwined in Christ. We are truly undeserving of such favor, but we have been offered it – through Jesus our Savior.

See your life through the lens of grace, and no matter the trouble, you’ll know you’re not alone. Through weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, calamities, you’ll know you have not been abandoned. You know you have favor with our God, who grants you power in the form of relationship and He will carry you through.

May this power, made perfect in our weaknesses, rest upon you now.

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Alex Poon