Saved By Grace - Episode 8

What if someone who once persecuted Christians became one of the greatest apostles in history?

In this episode of The Muddy Cross, we explore the story of Saul, later known as Pauland the power of radical grace. A life transformed from fear and control to purpose and faith.

Grace isn’t something we earn, it meets us in our worst moments and changes everything.

Through Paul’s story, we’re reminded:

• No one is too far gone
• No failure is too big
• God isn’t finished with you
• 
  

We also talk about how to live out grace daily—through forgiveness, humility, and loving others well.

Grace isn’t just a word… it’s a way of life.

#Faith #Grace #Bible #ChristianPodcast #Forgiveness

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

What if the person that you used to fear, the one that you thought was beyond hope, became one of the greatest instruments for God?

SPEAKER_00 0:08

What if grace isn't just for the good people but meets us in our worst moments, completely transforms us?

SPEAKER_01 0:16

Today we're diving into the story of radical grace, someone who persecuted the church.

SPEAKER_00 0:21

And became one of the most influential apostles in history.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Today we're talking about Saul, who later became known as Paul. Hi, and welcome back to the Muddy Cross podcast. Thank you so much for joining us today. I am excited, Judy. What are we speaking about today?

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Oh, today we are looking at Grace. Grace through the story of Paul. I'm really excited about this one, who literally went from persecuting Christians and like just really not being a very nice person to preaching the gospels and sharing Christ's word and just yeah, just transformation. That's quite a transformation.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

That's quite a transformation.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

But before we dive into Paul's story, I think what we should do is we should look at what grace actually is. Right, okay. You know, like let's quickly just define it. So grace is God's kind of, if you like, un earned favour, if that's the way to put it, we haven't earned it completely. It is literally him going, you can be saved because of me, not because of you. Because of his love. Because of his love, because of what happened on the cross, and which is quite timely at the moment, just everything to do with that. And his love and forgiveness freely given to us. It's not something that we've ever earned.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

So I've got a piece of scripture which I think kind of encapsulates all that. And it's in Ephesians, Ephesians 2, 8. For by the grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves. It is a gift from God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Oh, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Really like that because it it strips away everything. It doesn't matter about race, doesn't matter about class, doesn't matter about what you've got in your pocket.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Yeah. This is something God is. It's counterculture, isn't it? It's what we learn at limitless. It's literally going against the world. And it's going, you know, in the world, it's like you say, you know, who can earn the most, who can have the most awards, accolades. It's that it's that achievement mentality, it's all of that. And God goes, No, because without me, you wouldn't have any of that. And so it brings it right back. It's it's taking away pride, it's taking away ego, and it's bringing in humility. And I think that is so, so special. Um, and that's what how faith is. Faith is receiving that. Yeah, you know, faith is having that humility to go, yeah, no, I didn't get this because of me, I got this because of you, and I'm now gonna receive that, and I'm gonna give you the glory for that. So it goes away from us taking the glory to giving him the glory and trusting and loving, you know, that love and that forgiveness, even when we don't deserve it, he's given it to us. And we have to take that on board and we have to go, and that's been a struggle. I know I've struggled with that, going, oh, but I've done this in my life and I've done that in my life, and I've I've you know, I've thought this about someone, or I've thought that, or and it's like, no, I've given myself like we looked at last week, we're a new creation, we're a new in him. That was the last week's one. Now or now we're looking at we've got to accept that. Yeah, so we have if we think that he can give that to us, we have to accept that about ourselves as well. Otherwise, we're obviously saying he's wrong, um, which we can't. So it's a case of being humble to accept that and to see ourselves um how we treat others, to see ourselves how he sees us, so you you know, you're beautifully and wonderfully made in his image, you know, like all of that coming together is just incredible, and it's how we then step into God's calling on that.

SPEAKER_01 3:56

Absolutely, and and then sort of bringing that back to what who we're about to speak about now, it it's it's stark contrast, really, you know, because we're we're looking at Paul, formerly known as Saul, and one of my favourites, and I mean there's a whole lot to his backstory. But if we look at Stephen, for example, and what happened with him, he was stoned to death for standing up for Christ. And you know, Paul or Saul at that time was behind his his death. So that's kind of where we're at. That's where we're starting. We're starting with this character who has set himself above above others, who's basically putting people to death um because he feels he knows better, and that's that's where we're starting with Grace.

SPEAKER_00 4:42

I know it's incredible, isn't it? But what we're gonna do, and if we're kind of honest, I think if you think about it, that's where most of us are starting from, aren't we? It's that place of failure. Like when we come to God, it was very much you're like, you're in that place, aren't you? Of thinking, Wow, like I need help. I need I need like I know there's more, like we've said it before, I know there's more out there. Uh you know, I don't feel like I'm doing enough or I am enough or what have you. I need help. And it's his grace that you know gives us that because like many of us can't imagine being redeemed to that level. It's such an incredible feeling, like we've said, it's that peace, isn't it? You feel lighter, you feel more peaceful, but it's still an ongoing battle. You still have moments where you feel like you know, like you're back in that fleshly, oh, I didn't say the right thing, or I didn't do the right thing, or I haven't, and so you're constantly having to work on yourself, which is obviously out there, but it's just this oh, I just think it's incredible. I'm gonna get straight, I'm gonna stuck in. So because I think it's because it's one of my favourites.

SPEAKER_01 5:43

It is.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

He's letting me read it.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

It is one of your favorites.

SPEAKER_00 5:46

I say he's letting me, he's not. We always it's always you read the main passage, isn't it? But I get to read four. So I'm gonna read um it's in Acts 9, um, and we're gonna read Acts 9 um through to verse uh where are we at? So it's verse 19, so we're going from 1 to 18. So meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord, Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in the Damascus, so that he um so that's sorry, so if he found any there who belonged to the way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless. They heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand to Damascus. For three days he was blind and did not eat or drink anything. In Damascus, uh, there was a disciple um named Ananias. The Lord called him to um in a vision. Ananias, yes, Lord, he answered. The Lord told him, Go to the house of Judah on the straight street and ask for a man from Tardis named Saul, for he is um praying in a vision. He has seen a man named Ananias come to a place, uh come and place his hands on him and restore his sight. Lord Ananias answered, I have heard many reports about this man and all that harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem, and he has come here with authority from the chief priest to arrest all who call on his n all who call on your name. But the Lord said to Ananias, Go this ma uh go, this man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. Then Ananias went to the house and entered it, placing his hands on Saul, he said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately something like scowls fell from Saul's eyes and he could see again. He got up, he was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. I love it. There's loads more. If you want to read more, read on because it is incredible.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Yeah, that that it's quite a story, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 9:02

It's um an account of what happened is incredible. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

It's it's it's I think you know when you when you when we retell these these accounts that happened and we try and look at our lives, it it can seem like such a big jump, can't it? But it you know, it's not really, I think that um it shows that such a big event like this can happen. And when we look at our lives in comparison, we think, well, I don't go around killing people, yeah, I'm not putting Christians to death. But if it can happen then in our small lives, then it can definitely happen.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

Um to be able to hear God's voice, like to hear God's voice, ask him why are you persecuting me? You know, why are you not following me? Why are you not, you know, loving my people and loving everybody? Like it's not just your people, it's everybody, you know, the Jews and the Gentiles. We're all now, you know, we're all under God's um hand. And so therefore, like he was persecuting them. And it kind of, you know, like I heard something recently where they were talking about, you know, if I'm just a good person on this earth, so obviously we know at that point Saul wasn't. Now it's a difficult one because Saul thought he was being good. He thought he was following the word, didn't he? He had the old testament, he thought he was following the word of that, and therefore, in his eyes, you know, he was doing the right thing. Um, and so therefore, you know, like somebody out in the world that's going through the world, they're you know, perhaps they give charitably, they they do good acts, they pay their bills and they have a good life, they're kind to other people, but they're not following God. Yeah, and and God is saying basically, why are you not following me? Why are you not walking this path with me? And I think that's incredible. And this in so many levels speaks to us about that. You know, like Saul thought he was doing the right thing, but he wasn't. Yeah, and God's woke him up in that moment for us. We've walked through our life, we've tried not to harm people, we've tried not to do wrong, we've tried to live a pretty simple life on many aspects. Um, we've we're not money grabbing or greedy in any way. We would give, you know, we're we're givers and what have you, but we weren't following God. No, and God had to wake us up, and that's what he's done. And this is incredible because it ties in, and you can just see so many parallels where it works with our lives today.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

To me, it's the it's that bright light that overwhelms them, and you know, that question, why are you persecuting me? I think you know, I I I look at that, I read that, and it takes me to when has life flowered me? When has it overwhelmed me? I.e. that bright light, when has something just completely consumed me? Like that light must have consumed um Saul at that time. Um, and obviously then become blind. Yeah, you know, you you can hear people, you can hear people's stories, something I became extremely ill, you know, I just lost family, I've you know, something terrible. And it's at those times when we're brought to our knees almost, and sometimes actually brought to our knees, that that's the time and the best time to cry out and say, God, who are you? Yeah, why are you letting this happen? Who am I? What do you want from me? Or what whatever those questions may be, and leave space to listen. And and that's that was kind of Saul's awakening moment whenever that light took him over. And I think we face that.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

I think it's why accept I think it's why I like that saying that we heard about you can belong before you believe, you know, from Anthony Mitchell, because it's so incredible. Like I know for us, and obviously, if you want to go back to Grace and the grit and faith in the climb, that's all about our personal story. But for me, you know, like I was in the moment when when God came to me, I was in the moment of my probably one of my most scared moments in life. Like I could feel this darkness coming in, I could feel this, I knew it wasn't right, I knew it wasn't of this world, I knew it was very like I was very consumed, very fearful, cold, you know, feeling very crushed and and suffocated. And I just knew it wasn't right. And I called out and he came, and it was the light. It was the light, the light with the warmth that come, and it correlates with this. When he comes, he comes with greatness, he comes with warmth, he comes with embracing, he comes with not punishment, he extends his grace, he he is, you know, not rejecting us, he's loving us. In that moment, he could have turned around and gone, no, you're not following me. Yeah, you're not with me. You know, you not just don't deserve that, but you have that because you've asked for that. He's gone, no, I will come, I will save you. And in that moment, he did.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

And this is God's grace, yeah. Regardless of what you've done, where you find yourself.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

And I'll go back to like it gives me like I'm literally got goosebumps now, that feeling of in that moment, it didn't matter what I'd said, no, it didn't matter who I was, it didn't matter what I'd done in my life. It it was an unconditional love beyond anything human. Yeah, it was just that feeling of mercy and acceptance and a new calling. Yeah, and it was definitely in that moment that I felt it. And just like and it's and this is why some of the like this is my favourite story in one of my favourite stories in the Bible, because he can turn any heart, yeah, and he turned our hearts. You know, we didn't think we were, you know, we're not overly bad people, yeah, but we weren't doing the right thing, we weren't following his way, and he can he can just turn that around. And I think it's incredible.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

And I think it's important also just to point out now for anyone watching or listening, is that you know, we're talking about this bright light that consumes all. You know, that bright light may not be a physical bright light for somebody, but that bright light could be the warmth of somebody's heart come knocking on your door and saying, Yeah, you need me just to help you right now. Yeah, you know, it could be a welcomed letter that you read. You know, it could be anything, it doesn't have to literally be a light. So just keep that in mind that whenever you find yourself in a dark time, uh that light could find in different ways. Yeah, the the the other then sort of not the side, sort of moving on from that and talking about Saul having this awakening, if you will, this this this bright light awakening is is the anoness side of things because obviously Saul's in Damascus and he's blind, hasn't eaten and drank for three days.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Which is also you know, telling he hasn't eaten and drunk, so again it's that fasting and because he was just praying, fasting and praying.

SPEAKER_01 15:29

So he he's there obviously confused. Yeah, don't know what's happening. Am I blind for life? Am I what? The other side of town, yeah. This guy, Alan S, God speaks to him and says, Hey, I want you to nip over across across town, jump on the bus.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

And go and give someone their sight back.

SPEAKER_01 15:47

Go and see this guy. Who is this guy? Uh, just happens to be Saul, and then whoa, whoa, whoa, I know who this dude is. This he's not pretty why why? And he's probably quite nervous, I would imagine.

SPEAKER_00 15:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Um, because he's worried that you know, I believe in Christ and he doesn't, and I know what he does.

SPEAKER_00 16:04

Yeah, because he at that point doesn't know any of what's happened.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

So he's probably there's an element of fear for life, maybe. Yeah, but I love how he says basically, all right, jumps in the bus. Being obedient, and and away he goes, yeah, because he's being obedient, and and and that's his faith and God's grace.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

Yeah, yeah. And I think that's just incredible, isn't it? That is we don't deserve it, but we receive it. Yeah, and I think that just shows that in that moment. And again, it goes back to you saying, you know, like someone's I've had a few people say to me, Oh, well, you you've encountered God, you've had that moment, that's why you believe so strongly. And I'm like, but you don't have to have that big moment to believe. No, you have to have faith.

SPEAKER_01 16:42

No, and and I think that again on Ananess's point of view, of you know, he had that faith, and and I don't know, we don't know his whole Ananess's backstory, and and if he had any encounters, let's go in the present that he doesn't. And he goes and he says, delivers his message to Saul, and it says that he's seen something like scales fall off his eyes. Ananess then has an amazing encounter with God because he delivers a message which he doesn't really know why, and he sees something come out of this man come off these this man's eyes, and this man's changed. That puts an awful lot more faith in Ananess as well, and it grows his faith. And I the reason I'm saying that is because I like how again it comes back to community, how we're all meant to strengthen each other, how we all share these small moments of faith.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

And it's really important if you get a message to speak it, if you if you think like you can and you can double check it, like you can keep asking God to is this definitely right? Because you don't want to just go and tell someone something.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

And it's these small messages that we share and amongst each other that help grow us and grow a bigger and bigger faith together as a community.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

It is yeah, it is really important to do stuff like that, and and then God calls him to lead. Yeah, like how incredible is that, you know, like he's gone from and he again he thought he was doing God's work there, but he's he's now being stepped up. And the hardest part is that, you know, like obviously he's he's got to go around, he's got to teach, he's got to plant churches, he's got to go and do all these things. He's got you know, he's gonna write the letters, which eventually become the backbone of the New Testament. Yeah, like that's incredible. But he's got to go and face all these people that he's persecuted, he's got to walk into all those disciples and said, Yeah, last week I wanted to kill you all and have you all stoned to death, but now you're my brother. Yeah, now you're my brother, and and I need you. So how humbling and how much like you know, that's faith because he really has to have all of that foundation, and he's had that in a very small period of time, three days effectively, to have that foundation then in Christ to go, hands up, I've done wrong. I I need to, and that's powerful. That's really and that shows what we need to be doing. We need to have that same humility.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

It's just incredible. Again, it's a massive demonstration on how God um can use anyone. I mean, this is a man that was for the church but actually worked against the church in regards to persecute and kill people, and God and I used him to stand very boldly for him in in the proper way. Um, it it's quite quite incredible.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

And it just transformed us, doesn't it? Like it it kind of grace doesn't wait for us to be clean or to be perfect, or like so many people go, oh no, no, no, when I can pray right, I'll go to church, or when I can do this, I'll do that. No, it it meets us in that grit, which is why we did the grace and the grit, because to me that's where the grace meets us, isn't it? It meets us in that real dirty place of you know, we're all born sinners, we're not perfect. When Jesus is the only perfect person to walk this earth, he's the only one that didn't deserve to die when he died, he's the only one that took on everybody's sins when he was sinless.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 19:55

And like, and God's so gracious, I think I've said this before, but God's so gracious that he didn't ask any of us to take that on. No, he sent himself in human form to take that on. So we didn't even need to suffer the the death on the cross. Yeah, and I just think that's incredible, and I just think that he comes in our worst moments because he wants to transform us and he wants to see us fulfill the purpose that he has for us when we were born.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

Yeah, no, because we all have that purpose 100%, and and I got a bit a bit of scripture on that in 2 Corinthians and this. This uh, you know, nothing's coincidence. Uh things come about it on a reel yesterday, and um I know and the scripture came to me, it was very fit in for that, um, just regarding what I'm going through at the minute. And here we are, it's it's it's in here and it fits within.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Because I put it in today, uh what last week when I was working on it, isn't it? And then sent it over, and he was like, I've just done this yesterday. So, yeah, so this is God's hand.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

This is 2 Corinthians uh 12, uh verse 9. Uh, and he has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, my power is perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will uh boast I would rather boast about my weakness, so that um the power of Christ may dwell in me. Wow, you know, and and this is you know, if you look at Saul as well, you could say that his weakness was because of what he had done, but he God took that weakness and he changed it for his glory, and and that's by by God's grace that he done that. No other reason, you know, because if you think about it, if it wasn't for God's grace and it wasn't uh by God's hand, if Saul nine now in the story known as Paul had gone back to do God's work, would the cribs have stoned him? Would they have flocked him, would they have mocked him because of what he had done? And now he's coming, he's doing a U turn, isn't he? He's coming back on himself and saying, Yeah, you what you were saying that that actually was right. I was wrong, sorry, I killed your friends. You know, that could have been quite. Disastrous, but God had his hand on him. God had knew the plan, and it was by God's grace that that he allowed Saul to become Paul and to change his life.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

Yeah, it was. And again, it's it's going back to he understood that it was in his weakness, wasn't it? His past failures, the the person his persecution of Christians, all of that. Yeah, God took all of that and he's used it for his glory. And we correlate so many times now, don't we, in our own life, where we go, we learnt we need this skill. We learnt that five years ago or 10 years ago or 20 years ago, and now we need it again. That's really weird because it's coming back, and then you go, Oh, okay. Yeah, he was just all that time that we wasn't following the path, he was still refining us to do what he needs us to do ultimately when we are on his path. So it's it's so clever the way it all goes because you know you can try and think you've got your life mapped out the way you want it, and you can try and go, now I'm doing this, I'm going this way. But God's going, okay, well, you can go that way, but I'm still gonna attach all these little skills that you're gonna need because eventually I'm gonna put you here, and when you're there, just like Saul, you're gonna have what I need to turn you into Paul. Yeah, and I just think it's incredible that he's done that.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

Absolutely. So I think I think the practical takeaway for me here is that if God can transform Saul, yeah, into obviously he becomes Paul, yeah, then he can transform anyone, anyone's life, no matter what they've done. So that means that there's no failures too big, no sin is too deep. Obviously, it means that when we come to God, we move away from our past we become anew. No melding. It does sound a bit like it. Um, but it means that you know, as long as we move, we accept God under our lives and we move away from what was got by God's grace, He can He can use us and transform our lives. We really can.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

And I've got a piece of scripture that I want to put in today because it's so relevant to this right now, and it's in um Acts again, so we're still in Acts, it's Acts 26 and it's 18, and it's to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. And I just think that is so beautiful because it just it emulates that he wants that for us. Yeah, you know, the whole the whole point of all of this is because he created Adam and Eve to have a relationship, he done it in his image, which totally upset Lucifer because Lucifer wanted to be in his image and Lucifer wasn't in his image. So that's what's created all of this. We are that special to him that we are created in his image, and he came down to the Garden of Eden to walk with them, to talk with them, to have a relationship with them. And even when they they disconnected from him, he still wanted that relationship. So he didn't completely destroy it and go, Do you know what? This effectively this project didn't work, I'm just gonna scrap that and start again and do something else. He's gone. I love people so much, I love you know what I've created so much that I'm going to give them a way back, and he knew from the beginning the way he was gonna do it, and that was through Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 25:17

And and and that that's a great demonstration of God's faith, not you know, for everyone, for all of us, um, if if we choose to accept that. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. It is incredible. Yeah, I've got a little scripture as well. Um, this is in Ephesians, this is Ephesians 4:32. Just a nice little lesson. It's just I really like this one. I like Ephesians. Uh be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you. Yeah, you know, and yeah, I just I just quite like that. It it it is a very simple message, and it's just showing how we can extend grace. Yeah, yeah, we can extend grace to each other.

SPEAKER_00 26:00

And I think this is why I have such a connection to the Paul story. When we were gonna film this one today before we started, he went, Don't go on about Paul becoming sore. And I was like, But I love it. So I have to be really careful not to go on. But this is what I love, and this is why for me I can relate to this story so much, because I know that you know God can turn that around. And you know, like if you're if you if you're thinking like I've I've felt so many times that oh, I'm not good enough, you know, I need to do more, or you know, kind of I've messed up too much. How how could I be accepted, or anything like that, you know, and and we had it, we were doing um uh a session the other night with the youth, weren't we, at church? And it was it was looking at different levels of sin, you know, and whether somebody has murdered someone or done something horrific, or whether somebody comes in and steals a pen, in God's eyes, sin is sin. Yeah, and so there's no levels, and some people may go, well, that that's not right, that's not fair, but there is no levels. Sin is sin. If you've sin, you've sinned.

SPEAKER_01 27:08

We're the ones that have uh introduced.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Kind of introduce level levels to it, if you like. God just can't tolerate sin and he doesn't want any form of sin. And so it's incredible because you know, like we feel, don't we? We put that on ourselves, we label ourselves, well, I've done this, I'm too bad, I've messed up, I'm not good enough, I can't. God doesn't see that. All God wants is us to go, I have messed up, I'm not, you know, I'm not worthy, but by your grace, I can be forgiven, you know, and that's that's all he wants for us, isn't it? Is to remember, and that's where this story I think can help so many because when you think of Paul and the transformation from Saul to Paul, you think if he can transform Saul, he can transform anyone, and he can certainly transform me, he can certainly help me, and that's what's got me through some of the moments where I've I've struggled with self-forgiveness, where I've really struggled to kind of turn that around and gone, yeah, okay. I know you say that I'm forgiven for that, but I am struggling to forgive myself from that, and that's where I go, no, because I know that by your grace that can happen, and that's where he meets us um in our failings, in our hurt, in our not enough moments, yeah, he can turn all of that around and he can just use it.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

No, I'll just think it's incredible. And and talk about using it. I mean, we you know that's that's God's grace to us, but we can show grace to others. So again, looking at a practical point of view for for you guys, then how can we yeah, how can we show and exercise grace in our daily life? Have you got any any top tips you think there?

SPEAKER_00 28:53

I think the first one is um forgiveness. I think the first one to look at is forgiving others quickly. And what I mean by that is, you know, like start with the small stuff, just you know, just little things that you think you've held a little grudge for or you know you've thought in your head something not nice, just just go. Do you know what? No, just let that go and then move on with that person because you you can't expect God to forgive you if you're not going to give that same grace to other people. And I think that the longer you walk with God and the longer you not necessarily even walk with him, because sometimes you can lose your walk with him, but the longer you stay in the word and the longer you practice it daily, the quicker that becomes, that forgiveness of other people becomes really quickly. But I think it's such a freeing thing because, and it is so true when you hear people out there saying all forgiveness does is hold you in a state of you know, like not like you're you're you're not being able to move forward, you're kind of confined in that because they move on, they don't care, but you're stuck, and so I think once you learn to forgive, and that as I say, it comes quite quickly the longer you walk with him, it's such a freeing feeling, yeah. And so I think that's my first one. It has to be forgiving others quicker than what you've done, and it will get quicker.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Yeah, I I think along the same lines is mine would be to forgive yourself. Yeah, um, I think there's a lot of things that we hold ourselves accountable for. Um, you know, we can't change the past, yeah. Um, but we can learn to not let it shackle us and hold us back. Um, because I think sometimes we can get quite bogged down and that stops us moving forward into what God wants us to be. So I think forgiving yourselves again, start with the small things and build up. Uh that would be that would be one for me.

SPEAKER_00 30:38

Yeah, and I think another one would probably be helping people without expecting anything in return. Just helping. Yeah, we say this to the boys all the time. Yeah, we say it all the time if you can help you know, if you can help, do it. Why would you not do it? Yeah, and that doesn't mean that you have to have money or you have to have a skill or a certain position, you can figure it out, yeah, and you can always find a way. And like for us, you know, like times have been particularly hard of late, but we've still found a way to figure out helping other people in amongst all of that. Because not only does it bring joy to your heart, yeah, it's helping and doing what God wants us to do. He wants us to work in community and fellowship, he wants us to help each other, and that's one way to do it.

SPEAKER_01 31:22

Yeah, I like that one. Um, I would say showing grace is a tough one. Grace in parenting or or mentoring, because there's a lot of you know, you you know, uh through mentoring through work or whatever else.

SPEAKER_00 31:34

Definitely a challenge through the church.

SPEAKER_01 31:35

Um but certainly certainly with kids, um, and and there's many different facets to that why that can be quite challenged one. But I think um showing grace as a father to my children, that's that's one where that's one where I think is is an important aspect.

SPEAKER_00 31:53

And it's an ongoing one, and I say it's an ongoing one because any parent knows the seasons change.

SPEAKER_01 31:58

The seasons, the seasons change, and they're trying to and it's different challenges within the season. Look, we're not we're not pretending that all of this isn't time. It's a journey, and that's why we say work on the small things and build build it up. But but anyway, yeah, showing grace and parenting or mentoring if you're responsible for working with younger people, yeah. Um, yeah, that'll be one for me.

SPEAKER_00 32:18

Yeah, and I think for me, um living humbly, living humbly and accepting others for who they are, for what they are for, because they have to accept you for who you are and what you are. Yeah, and it's a two-way street and it goes hand in hand. So I think we have to learn. I think we've said it before, but remember when you're looking at someone, you're not looking at the face here of those people, you're looking behind and you're seeing them. Um, and I think that's really important because you know, like if someone comes up and they're moody with you, snappy with you, they're unkind to you, if someone's, you know, like road rage in the car or something like that, you have to go, what's the back? What's behind? You know, they're having a bad day, you know, why are they going like that? And I know it's really hard in the moment because we're human and we're designed to judge and snap and all of those things, a lot of us. It's just it's a case of going, take a breath, a little bit like you say, you know, like do that sort of exploded view where you look back and then you go, no, actually, if you know them, I know they're going through this, so let's be forgiving. Or if they're in the car and they're having a bad day and they're doing road rage, just just pray for them, send them love and pray for them. So, yeah, so it's it's having uh living a bit more uh humbly and accepting others.

SPEAKER_01 33:35

Yeah, and I think the you know the core here is to remember that you can't you can't earn it. Yeah, you can receive it, but you can't earn it, and you know, don't try and keep tabs on all of these suggestions that were given. Yeah, just do them and and just let them change you. They will change you over time, and you'll look at some point you look back and think, Wow, I'm I'm different because I wouldn't have reacted that way. I that's not who I was before. That's a good thing. Yeah, that's a really, really good thing.

SPEAKER_00 34:05

And I think got to remember, and this is one that we we have to remind ourselves of as well that grace isn't just a word, it isn't just a word, it's a way of life. Yeah, and and when you start living it, even though it's a hard road and they say it's the narrow path for a reason, it's not the easy path. Yeah, it's still the most blessed path, and it is peaceful and it comes with so much joy, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:28

Absolutely, it's incredible. And when you understand that and you you live that, you then start to see it, and it completely changes your life. It completely changes your life.

SPEAKER_00 34:39

And God just puts people in your path that yeah, that are just meant to be there, um, and just lifts lift you all up. And when you're all doing it together, like when we're all together like at revival, like we were all together at an event at the weekend, weren't we, with with our fellow people, and we all got the same passion, the same, you know, we we're just doing it to see people smile and be happy and lift other people up. The joy that comes from that collectively, and that's in community as well. So just living by grace is incredible, and accepting his grace is even more incredible.

SPEAKER_01 35:09

And that is a good place to end it.

SPEAKER_00 35:12

Oh, again, I want to talk more about Paul.

SPEAKER_01 35:15

That's it, that's it for this episode, guys. Thank you so much for joining us. We really do appreciate it as always. Remember, you can help us an awful lot just by subscribing on whatever platform you're listening or watching on. And you can leave us a message, hit the thumbs up button, show us some love. Um, comments, we love your comments and your personal direct messages as well. We get back to those uh too, guys. We look forward to catching up with you guys next week. If you want to support a show, remember you can do that by following the bias coffee link below. But until next time, stay rooted in Christ, stay strong, and we'll see you on the next episode.

SPEAKER_00 35:50

Bye.

SPEAKER_01 35:51

Bye.