Tekel

The writing on the wall in Daniel 5 "mene mene tekel parsin".  In English says "number number weighed divided".  This struck fear into the heart of King Belshazzar.  I would be startled at the sight of a hand in the air writing on my wall, regardless of the message.

I haven't been startled by any writing on the wall lately but I have been annoyed with the frequency of the topic of grace.  My first response is "I know I need much grace and I give graciously."  I am not sure why the phrase, "You have been weighed.  You have been measured and found wanting." popped into my head driving home from errands yesterday.  I was mesmerized by the beauty of Fall all around me.  It comes from a favorite movie of mine, "A Knight's Tale".  The phrase comes full circle in the story only because of the grace offered to a peasant boy being granted knighthood by a man who could claim his kingship.First uttered by an aspiring knight to a lowly aspiring servant in condemnation. The peasant boy later spares the life of the aspiring knight to show grace, then utters the phrase to him to complete the paradox, measured grace. The man who deserves to be king wanders his kingdom because he too feels wanting.  He is in need of grace to claim his purpose in life. Each gave graciously more than what was due according to the standard of measure.  Whose standard?  The tekel was a standard of measurement for weighing goods in Old Testament times.

Hmm. Measured grace.  I know God has given me grace in abundance.  I also know that anything He has done and will do is immeasurably, more than I can imagine.  So if I use His measure I am found in great want and so He offers Amazing Grace!  If I want to continue to be measured according to His standard, despite my profound inability to attain balance, I too need to use that same measure.

All people have been found profoundly wanting in a multitude of areas and some cause us annoyance or great angst.  When a want is identified do I respond with the grace they deserve or do I give Amazing Grace - more than what is asked or imagine?  Matthew 7:2,Mark 4:24 and Luke 6:38 remind us in many ways that the standard of measure we use, will be used on us.  Jesus tells a parable of grace offered by a master to a servant for a great debt and in turn that servant offers no grace  to a fellow servant.  Damnation is the consequence.

Job 28:25 and Isaiah 40:12 confer that many attributes of God and His creation are immeasurable.  God says in Jeremiah 31:37 that if all that He has made could be measured by humans He would not desire to save us, the Israelites.  Now there is a scary thought.  The overwhelming, incomprehensible want that is found in all that is seen, including myself, when God's standard of measure is used requires our saving. I choose to be found wanting and filled to His standard. Grace is measured.  I pray that the grace I give is Immeasurable, Amazing grace.

^"14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."  Ephesians 3:14-21

GRACE

Grace runs in my family.  It is a legacy that I am honored to carry on.  I almost carried on the middle name Grace, like great Aunts and Grandmothers before me.  Instead I carry on the gift of GRACE given to me by my heavenly Father.  I first saw it in my Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Parents and cousins.  I grew up surrounded by Grace to a point where I took it for granted.

I didn't understand how bad I needed it when I was young and at home. When I was in college I came to appreciate the gift of Grace.  Still later as a Mom I cried out for Grace through dark hours, not even knowing that was what I needed.  God loves me so much, more than any parent can love their child, He gladly gave more than I needed despite my immaturity.

That is when it happened.  When I didn't know what I needed and was able to more than survive, even experience Joy, in the midst of the deepest anguish any parent can fathom but HOW?  I asked. He said, "Grace."

Just a few weeks ago He started reminding me of the Grace I received. Grace?  I said.  What about it?  So I began to search His Word for Grace.  Grace in greek is Charis, which means "that which affords joy, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness, grace of speech, good will, favor, mercy".  Grace give us strength and spiritual power.  God gives grace away to keep us. To keep us.

Aaahh grace. If in our humility we boldly approach the Throne of Grace, God will be merciful and give us the Grace we need. (Hebrews 4:9 & james 4:6)  For it is good that our hearts be established/kept with grace for it is the strength we need to stand firm in all of life. (Hebrews 13:9)  Moreover the sincerity of the Love we show is measured by our ability to give Grace to others. (2 Corinthians 8:1-9)  The sincerity of my love shown to my children, husband, co-workers,family, friends, church is measured by the grace I freely give.  That means I give it before they ask for it, like He did for me.

Now, like the church in Corinth thousand of years ago, I am asked to finish what I promised- to love all those He blesses me with sincerely.  I pray that when the Sincerity of my Love is measured His Grace that keeps me, overflows in me. Amazing Grace.