I am...

Just the other morning I was reading a book while having some toast and apple jelly. The book was Andy Park’s work called “To Know You More: Cultivating the Heart of a Worship Leader.” The book is really inspiring to me, but it is a nuts and bolts kind of book for worship leaders. I bought the book several years ago when I was actively leading worship in my former church and occasionally leading at Emmaus weekends. I’m not an active up front worship leader anymore, but I am actively involved in the worship team mainly now as a bass player with an occasional week on guitar. (I guess you can say that they finally found an instrument that I don’t screw up to badly on. I mean four strings and one note… I guess the odds were better.)

There was a little more to what I read, much more than my summary here, but my take-a-way was this…

I am the beneficiary of a radically unfair love.

That one caused me pause. I’ve been chewing on that one since. I’ve never thought about my relationship with Christ as a radically unfair love. But honestly, it’s the truth. He loves completely yet that love is not freely reciprocated from me. He gives completely in a measure according His plan yet my giving is halting. He forgives completely yet my frustrations are my excuse not to forgive when it suits me best.

But… While I was still his enemy, He gave his life for me. That’s what I paraphrase when I read Romans 5:8. This was just the first step of a radically unfair love that I and we all receive or have received. I’m certainly no theologian or Bible scholar and most assuredly not a preacher… I’m just that beneficiary.

Being a recipient of that radically unfair love brings with it a huge yet very fulfilling challenge. What to do with it. Guess that is pretty simple to state, but difficult to do. My best run at it will be to grow in it, return the gift by obedience and charity, and rest in the simple fact that when I fail that I’m forgiven. And also to deeply rest in the fact that the reward isn’t based on how “good” I am or how many good deeds I do, but very simply that His grace is enough.

My name is Joe and I’m a beneficiary of a radically unfair love.

What say you?