Last night’s discussion of grace (Matthew 19:23-21:17) brought about this quote, “God gives where He finds empty hands.” (St. Augustine of Hippo)
A Google search for more information brought me this blog post, which is fabulous. The orange juice analogy really is good once you figure out what the blogger is attempting to say.
But I think St Augustine wants us think about more than stuff. I don’t think he meant literally empty hands of tangible items. I think he meant empty like a blank slate. I think he meant empty like not trying to prove my worth.
And this blog about having “empty hands of repentance,” was good in a whole different way.
God’s grace is so thorough, so life-changing, so deep, so earth-shattering, so all-encompassing that it requires empty hands of repentance.
God, in his great love, wisdom, and mercy is not content to condone our sin. Rather, he is intent on forgiving it, cleansing us of it so it might not rule over us. When we come clinging to our sin, we are in no position to receive.
We cannot cling to our sins with justification or reasoning or acceptance and expect God’s entire grace. We have to have empty hands.
Empty of merit, of justification, of expectation.
Come to Jesus with empty hands that He might fill them up with peace and joy and love beyond measure.
