The Grace of God

It is His Grace That Brings us Through


It was a year ago today that Dawn went home to be with the Lord, it seems as if it were just yesterday. So many changes, so many lessons learned, so much heartache, so much pain, yet in the midst of this trial there has been resounding joy as well. When Dawn left us I knew life would never again be the same, I had many questions, made many assumptions and ran a million scenarios about what lie ahead and most of them were wrong. I spent countless nights and days alone, made many decisions some right some wrong, made promises I didn’t keep, and changes that will last forever, but the only truths that remained was that life would never again be the same and that God is faithful and sovereign. You see until we walk this path we truly have no idea what lie ahead, or how we will react when faced with life’s many challenges, we only know that each day presents itself with new ones. We keep our eye on the Lord after all He has now truly become our all in all, He is the only one that truly understands and He is our only hope. Much of what we do makes no sense to those around us, nor should it, you see we cannot understand no matter how hard we try, what people are going through. Therefore the key to coming alongside and understanding people in pain truly is the extension of grace, the same grace that the Lord extends toward us. I have a far greater understanding of grace these days, a desire to extend it more than I ever have, a passion to be an avenue through which grace flows. I now have a greater understanding of what true grace is, it is so much more than not getting what we deserve as many have spoken. True grace is giving the gift of love in return for anger, the gift of forgiveness in the face of judgment, the gift of peace in the face of war, the gift of service in the face of want. Oh how wonderful it would be if all who believe could learn these lessons without the pain that comes from such great loss, or at least have the grace to love without condition.
My prayer for this year is all of those who have been effected by Dawn’s passing and the resulting events is the same: may the grace of God befall you, and may you extend that same grace to all. To continue to live in the bondage of judgment, anger, bitterness, or fear serves no purpose for anyone, the fruit they bare is simply more of the same, and yes so it is with grace. Grace will bare grace and the fruit of grace is sweet, it is love, joy, peace, it is tasteful to all and a gift worth giving and receiving. If anyone in this world knows Dawn Burroughs it is me, her husband of thirty one years and friend for far more and the one thing she knew best how to extend was grace. She made people feel wanted, needed, and valuable, how? By extending grace! If you truly desire to honor her then you too can do the same, find someone you have judged, someone you have hurt, someone who has wronged you, and extend to them the grace of God. The pain has had control for long enough, take control away and give it back to the one who purchased it all, our only hope, our Lord our King, Jesus our Savior. And if you are one who chooses not to believe then to you I will extend the grace that He extends to me, for but by His grace there go I.

Pastor Gene Burroughs

Greater is He

Greater is He
Recently I while watching an old Mel Gibson movie I was very intrigued by a particular character in the film. The movie “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome” was based upon a character that actually launched Mel Gibsons career, yes you guessed it, “Mad Max”, The character I am referring to however was not that played by the well known Gibson, but rather that of an actor whose name is Paul Larson, and the character simply known as “Blaster”. You see Blaster was a rather big and impending fellow who carried on his shoulders a small man who name was “Master”. Blaster’s face was kept hidden behind an impending metal helmet, something resembling a diving helmet, however there was no indication as to what lie behind the mask or under the heavy armor. On the outside was this man who looked and acted as one who was full of hate and filled with anger, his only goal to protect his master at any cost. This character struck fear in the hearts of all men, so much so that the “little man” (master) who rode on his back completely controlled the town. This master of blaster spouted threats of high penalties if anyone came against him, he even forced the queen of the town to proclaim to all that Master Blaster ran the town. He abused his power at every opportunity and rarely ws he challenged, we can only assume that all comers failed, for he remained , at least until “Mad Max” came along. You see Max was not intimidated by the size of Blaster, he knew that somewhere there was a weakness. Max was able to look beyond the obvious, overcome his fears, overlook the reality, and have the faith to believe his cause was greater, that in the end he would overcome “Mater Blaster”.
Soon we find the two men engaged in a heated battle and sparing the rather corny details let me just say that Max won the fight. Just before Max was about to take the life of Blaster he removed the helmet and exposed the truth that Blaster had hidden so well. You see, under the mask was a simple man, an innocent face, the face of one who had Down’s syndrome. Rather than being greeted with the ghastly disfigured monster that all were convinced lived behind the mask, Max finds a childlike man looking back with an amazing grin. You see Blaster had struck fear in the hearts of men because men allowed him to. Men had assumed that behind the mask there was a giant man, one of great power and anguish, one who would show no mercy. Yet in reality there was a child, one whose innocence had been taken advantage of for the gain of man.
I wonder how many decisions we have made, actions we have taken or not taken because of our fears of men, or even our fear of the enemy. How often have we chosen to accept the status quo, or allow things to go a particular way only because our perception of our foe was misguided. Yes I wonder. I wonder why we give the enemy of our souls far more credit than he deserves, after all it is his reputation that brings the greatest fear, is it not? Oh let us not forget, “greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world” hmm now there is some food for thought!
Pastor Gene Burroughs

The Most Important Question of the Day

Each morning when we wake we are faced with a plethora of thoughts that lead to decisions; choices that will often forever influence the lives, hopes, dreams, and beliefs of those in our realm of influence. The first decision we make everyday could very well be the most important of all, yet it is often made with the least amount of thought and consideration. No it is more the result of outside influences, a response to situations and circumstances often beyond our control.. You see for many of us our days begin with the unfinished left over challenges of the previous day looming over us demanding our attention. Next to them loom the demands and needs of our spouses, children, bosses, and so on, all wanting our immediate and undivided attention. You see, their needs and desires are never anchored in our needs or wants, but rather in the very fact that they exist. The laundry continues to pile up, the dirty dishes surely must have a party every night and invite their friends, the dust bunnies multiply faster than their air breathing counter parts, and so on. Yes these are just a few of the things that influence our first and most important decision of the day, and as a result they become the center of our being, the focus of our attention, the motivation for every action and reaction. They “the tyranny of the urgent” tends to identify who we are, dictate our actions, and prevent us from being whole and complete, unable to meet challenges on our terms, but rather respond to them on theirs.
So just what is the most important decision each of us faces on a daily basis? See if this works for you: it begns with a question,“who am I in Christ and who is He in me?” You see if I ask myself this question there can only be one answer; a new redeemed, creature, a person who has been bought and paid for by the precious blood of the Son of the Creator of all the universe! He has forgotten my sins and transgressions, He has given me new life and promised me eternal joy. He has found value in me therefore I am of value, I am important to the God and creator of all, I have His spirit in me! Doesn’t this suddenly change your perspective, are you not now excited to know and be reminded of such truth? To remind oneself of this truth on a daily or even hourly basis has a direct effect on our attitude, both about ourselves and about the circumstances surrounding us. If I remain confident in who I am in Christ then the image the devil is attempting to create of me and in me is suddenly exposed for who and what it is, a lie! If what he speaks is a lie and who he is is a liar then why do I spend so much time attempting to defend myself against something which needs no defense? The power the enemy has over us is as large or small as we allow it to be, so yes we are ultimately responsible for the strength of his power! The enemy doesn’t need to make men shameful of their evil hearts, wicked thoughts, and hurtful actions, all he need do is remind us on occasion, and we can take it from there. You see we do a good enough job of beating ourselves up on our own!
So how about we try something new for a change, what say we get proactive and disarm the devil before he even shows up on the battle field? How about we once and for all admit our failings, our misgivings, our fears, our doubts, our sins, and our transgressions, how about we openly confess before God and the demonic realm everything that we have ever done to feel guilty about? Wouldn’t that once and for all put to rest the fears of being found out? Would that not place our flesh in the proper perspective, wouldn’t this finally bring the darkness in to the light? You see if we understand and confess who we are without Christ its is only then we are able to completely comprehend our need for Him and thus recognize who we are in Him, victorious! Then and only then can we walk in the glorious power of knowing the answer to the question we all need ask, again and again, “Who am I in Christ and who is He in me?”
The result? Suddenly the “tyranny of the urgent” will so pale in comparison to the reality of Christ that it will no longer dictate who we are and rule our days, for in Him our joy is found and victory realized!

Pastor Gene Burroughs
Calvary Chapel Shasta Lake