"Why settle for crumbs, when you can eat a full-course meal?"

24"Then Jesus said to the woman, I was sent only to help God's lost sheep - the people of Israel."
25But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, "Lord help me!"
26Jesus responded, "It isn't right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs."
27She replied, "That's true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their master's table."
28"Dear woman," Jesus said to her, your faith is great. Your request is granted." and her daughter was instantly healed. (Matthew 15:24-28, New Living Translation)

In my study of the Word, I found the aforementioned passage of scriptures, clearly defined the grace and mercy of God. Here you see the Gentile woman asking for Jesus's mercy in delivering her demon-possessed daughter. Although Jesus had come first to show Himself as the Messiah to the Jews, it was by faith this woman's daughter was healed.

You see, the Jews were chosen by God to be his people. They were supposed to be an example to all nations of what good things can happen to a people who obeyed God. All they had to do was to be faithful in His commandments by faith. But, because they had been chosen by God, they adopted an attitude of "holier than thou." They were self righteous people governed by laws and traditions, who looked good on the outside, but were corrupt on the inside, due to lack of faith.

Jesus referred to the woman as a dog. Here, I do not believe that Jesus reference of a dog, carried any racial intent. The reference was liken unto a family pet. The woman's reply was that even puppies eat from their master's table. However, during those times, the Jews did considered the Gentiles a people beneath their standards. So, we see that racism was just as prevalent over 2000 years ago as it is today.

But this post is not being written about the effects of racism. It is written to define the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Jewish people had trouble with accepting Jesus as the Messiah, because they had become accustomed to the Law of Moses (ten commandments). They refuse to believe that faith in Christ was simplistic and the Law was not. They were more concerned with their ceremonial traditions, rather to accept the Messiah by faith.

Isn't this true of some of us, today? We spend so much time trying to play the part of a Christian, through our own self efforts, that we miss out on why He came in the first place. We've become so self righteous that we believe it is our performance which put us in right standing with Him. We believe we must earn the crumbs which fall from His table, rather to eat freely from it.

I, for one had become accustomed to settling for crumbs. Rather than have faith in God, I chose to believe it was my performance which would gain me the right results, with Him. I tried to carry out the precepts of the Law and believed if I could live by some of them, and ask forgiveness when I broke others, He would hear my prayers and bless me.

But little did I know, that I could not be made right by keeping the law. Because if I was in violation of one, then I had violated them all. Let's take a look at Galatians 3:10-14 (New Living Translation) to see what the Word says about the Law and Faith in Jesus Christ:

10But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under His curse, for the Scripture's say, "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God's Book of the Law.

11So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, "It is through faith that a righteous person has life."

12This way of faith is very different from the way of the law, which says, "It is through obeying the law that a person has life."

13But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When He hung on the cross, He took upon himself the curse of our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

14Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing He promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.

Now take a closer look at the Gentile woman in Matthew 15:28. You see it?! Isn't it wonderful that it was the faith of the Gentile woman which set her apart from the Jews. Jesus had not yet died for the sins of the world. But he blessed her by faith. He had come unto the Jews to fulfill what had already been foretold in Isaiah 53:3:

3He was despised and rejected-a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

It is through His righteousness that we are righteous. Isaiah 54:11 clearly states:

11When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous for he will bear all their sins.

I've spend a lot of time, trying to tie my own self efforts into faith. Whereby, I became enslaved by attempting to fulfill(some) the requirements of the Law, rather than living free in Christ. You've heard of the old christian adage, "your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling." Well in my case, the old adage was right. I was too busy trying live up under law, never realizing by accepting Christ I was above the law.

You cannot mix law with faith. What I did as a believer was take the systems of the world and apply it to my Christian life. Instead of depending on God's grace and favor, I tried to deserve it through my own efforts. Let's go again once more to the book of Galatians 2:15-16 when Paul confronted Peter. After all Jesus had taught Peter about the Good News of the Gospel, upon arriving to Antioch he began mixing the law with faith, whereas Paul gently rebuked him:

15:You and I Jews by birth, not sinners' like the Gentile.

16Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.

Does forfeiture of the law, give us a right to sin? Of course not, but right believing does turn into right living. But, the law was given alongside the promises of Abraham to show us our sin. It was given to show us that we could never fulfill its requirements. God sent His Son to "buy freedom for us who were enslaved to the law, so that he could adopt us as His very own (Galatians 4:4-5)."

As believers we take the systems of this world and apply it to our Christian walk. Instead of depending on God, we try to earn His grace and blessing through our own self-efforts. Yet, we cannot earn His blessings based on our performance. God's blessing is based entirely upon His grace. What is grace? Grace is underserved, unearned and unmerited favor. There is nothing we can do to deserve it. It is based entirely upon receiving Jesus.

It is time we believers realize, everything we need to reign in this life was accomplished on Mount Calvary over 2000 years ago. He completed it and it is done!

With this being said, isn't it about time you stop eating from the crumbs of His table and enjoy a full course meal? Shouldn't you begin to live a life of luxury and contentment in Christ Jesus, since He's already acomplished it for you? Let's remember the words of Paul in Galatians 2:21:

21I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

So I say unto you again, "why settle for crumbs, when you can eat a full-course meal?"