Grace amazing

I have been thinking through what to preach on in a couple of weeks at Live Again. Monday was especially such a huge blessing. I went there with the intention of not saying anything, just listen. I felt I was losing my passion for this ministry and was losing the desire to be there. I needed a powerful reminder of why I was there and God provided that. Listening to these men speak reignited that spark. I am reminded of John 10 which can pretty much be summarized by saying that the good Shepherd knows his sheep. I needed to know my sheep more, being quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, as James puts it. Santos, almost 60 years old sat in the metal chair accounting his life of drugs and crime. He did not care what anyone thought and life revolved around him. He has been married for over thirty years and of those he has only been with his wife a total of fourteen because of being in and out of prison. Another guy, Abraham, now 18, has been addicted to meth since he was 13. One other man, I forgot his name, but he is now 38, was shot eight times in the head by police as he tried to run away. He is married and has two daughters. There is a face behind each name, a life behind each face, a family behind each life. These men have left a trail of destruction in their lives and in the lives of their wives, children, and parents. When one looks at them there thought that they are beyond redemption is not far from thought. But the fact is that they are not. They are no different that Zacharias, or Matthew, or Nicodemus, or Saul, or me. The power of the Gospel is able to change their lives. That is why I go there, because I believe in the work of Christ, because I want to be faithful to proclaim the gospel to them, even if I do not see fruit in this ministry because the reality is that God is at work in ways that I cannot comprehend.
I am really encouraged by the relationships I have built with these men. That I can laugh with them, touch their shoulders, embrace them, is truly a blessing from the Lord. That there is now a trust between us for most of them as they lay out the grossest details of their lives is even more amazing. I am thankful to God for this. That they can listen to a 24 year old who is half the age of most of them shows the power of God to use even the weakest tool, me. I am looking forward to my next sermon more than I have in a while because of that pause on Monday, and hearing them say how much they are understanding more about God although they cannot explain it. My job is just to be faithful, to be obedient, to be salt and light, all the while being loving and humble. May the Lord give me grace in this.