Karma vs. Grace

Karma vs. Grace ~ John 13.2,5,10-12,17

http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Jn13.2,5,10-12,17

“He knew who would betray him…poured water and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him …If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

Greetings!

Okay, so I really did not have too much trouble with Jesus washing the disciples’ feet … I mean, ‘I get it—Jesus was modeling the heart of the humble servant, and then told us to be like him’ … okay, all good.  Sweet.  But then, there is the element of Jesus knowing that Judas was about to betray him—not like you and me think of ‘betray’—when someone tells our secret or does us wrong; no, ‘betray’ as in turn him over to the Jewish authorities to be killed.  Remembering of course that Judas had been called by our Lord to follow him, and had been part of his inner circle—one of the 12 disciples—for more than three years!  Yet Jesus knowingly washed his betrayer’s dirty feet, though it seems the water did not wash his dark soul.  Jesus offered Grace.

Allow me to segue to today, when people seem to subscribe to the notion of Karma, in some form or another—Christianized by saying, ‘what you reap, you will also sow’—a type of cause and effect.  Oprah made “The Secret” an overnight best-seller because of its Law of Attraction.  ‘Want good things?  What you put out, the Universe will give back to you.’   While there is some element of truth, what about when your mojo isn’t good?  Are you just sunk?  Hmmm…

I find it ironic that our culture paints our God as a cosmic kill-joy when he is just too loving to leave us with karma; indeed, God, from his nature, ‘gave to the Universe’ Grace.  Think of it--karma would have had Jesus drowning Judas in the footbath, rather than washing his filthy feet!  The Law of Attraction would have had the disciples beating the tar out of the fool.  But Jesus taught another way—serve him, lead with love, offer grace.

Have you experienced the Grace of God?  Have you let it wash over your soul, not just your dirty feet?  Dear one, get your feet wet.  Take off your socks and shoes, and put your feet into the basin.  First one, then the other—Let the hands of God, the Grace of God, wash over you, and wipe away every dirty part of your life—dishonesty, lust, anger, hypocrisy, pride, guilt, your critical spirit … *

And then, so washed … go and do likewise--offer Grace.  Grace wins over karma every time!

Christine

PastorWoman.com