Acts 11:23
“…he … had seen the grace of God, (and) was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”

Do you recall the classic hymn from the heart and pen of Fanny Crosby, Rescue the Perishing?@ One of the stanzas has this remarkable observation on the grace of God:
Down in the human heart / Crushed by the tempter / Feelings lie buried that grace can restore. Is there a point beyond which the most degenerate human monster can no longer be reached? Is there some invisible line drawn in the sand of a person’s life which, if crossed, is irrevocable? Beyond which reason, love and redemption are impossible?

This very page could be read at this moment by someone whom society has written off completely. This person is (what’s the word we use here?) “untouchable.” Society shakes an accusing finger at such a person when his or her vitriolic behavior reaches a new depth or depravity and we all recoil at such behavior. As a pastor, I know the feeling when confronted by someone altogether unlovable. I almost walk away and then – then I see tears slip down the cheek and hear the voice tremble. I catch the desperate look in that person’s eyes searching for help, for understanding and just a little compassion. Society says, “Forget that person. He or she is beyond any human sympathy whatsoever.” Humanly speaking, society may well be right. But redemption through the marvelous grace of our loving Lord comes into play.

Was Fanny Crosby prophetic that grace can restore those buried hopes and dreams? Oh, let’s hang on tightly to that probability. None of us are appointed judges, are we? No, we are merely the messengers of God’s grace. We are to take the “good news” to the hopeless, the dying, the graceless. That’s the Gospel, bringing hope to those who are simply hopeless. Yes, that’s hard work, isn’t it? But through the power of God’s very Spirit, lives touched by Him are changed so magnificently!

Prayer: O God, I don’t want to be a condemner. I want to be a lifter of people’s hopes and dreams. Through Your Spirit, may I show someone Your grace today. Amen.