Karma or Grace?
There is a sense of satisfaction when the person who cuts you off in traffic is seen down the road receiving a ticket. The thought that comes to mind is likely; “Serves you right”, “What goes around comes around”, or something of the sort. This is an example of Karma. Most religions of the world share this idea of Karma…what you put out comes back to you.
Even though the origins of Karma come from Eastern religious traditions the concept of Karma has also penetrated Western thought and culture. We believe that material wealth is a result of our own hard work and effort and often assume that the financial struggles of others are a result of laziness or poor choices.
But the teachings of Jesus and the gift of God in sending him to the world injects a completely new religious concept, GRACE. Grace transforms the narrative and upends the idea of “you reap what you sow.” Genuine grace defies explanation through reason and logic.
As disciples of Jesus not only are we recipients of unfathomable grace but we are also called to be distribution centers of the same. Like a cup filled to overflowing, God’s grace is not to be preserved or stored but shared unreservedly.
This is the demonstration of love and grace that is expressed in 1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; lit us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.”
This is what attracted so many to the faith in the early church and it remains a powerful, countercultural example of what the church should be striving to live out. Let us strive to be tools in the hands of God for grace to be experienced by others. While we are thinking and praying about how to allow God’s grace to flow through us perhaps the song in the link below will give voice to our yearnings.
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Dan Kreiss, RPC’s Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach, brings with him a heart for service and a diverse array of experiences in the mission field. Be sure to subscribe to the Mission Outreach Blog to read and follow along as he documents his personal journey and shares his vision for RPC’s mission outreach commitment. Along with providing meaningful resources, this blog will help jumpstart the important conversations our church community must be having about missional living.
Dan Kreiss
Rev. Dr. Dan Kreiss is the Associate Pastor for Mission Outreach at RPC. Dan is particularly passionate about encouraging the church to reflect the diversity found in its surrounding community in regard to age, gender, ethnicity, education and economic status.