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Grace - What Are We So Afraid Of?
It sounds like such a great thing, doesn't it? Having all of the bad things that we have done erased from God's memory, without us having to do anything but accept a concept called grace.
But if we really believe what God says, then why do we have such a difficult time living out God's grace for ourselves and for others?
Sure, who doesn't want things like power and all of the other promises that come with the Holy Spirit? We all want a little bit of the Holy Spirit, don't we?
The rub comes when we realize that the Holy Spirit is a person to be followed, not a power to be manipulated.
Nudity, Murder, War, Adultery, Greed, More War, Scandal, Redemption. If the Bible were made into a realistic movie, I'm not sure if we'd want our children seeing it.
Are these words that come to mind when we read the Bible? Alive, Powerful, Active, Operating, Energizing, Effective, Sharp, Penetrating, Exposing, Sifting, Analyzing. If they aren't, then why aren't they?
Ladies, cover your ears (or eyes) for this one.
Men, we all have battles to fight. All of us. These battles differ from mano a mano, but they are still battles, they are still real, and they are still very painful if we don't fight. Even more detrimental if we lose. We must not separate ourselves from ourselves. The enemy loves to single us out one on one.
Our wives need us. Our children need us. The world needs us. Men, rise up and come alive! And don't do it alone.
So there I was sitting speechless in the cafeteria. I had just jokingly demanded a female friend to put my plate up, since I was finished with it. When she refused, I told her to submit, using Ephesians 5:22 (I conveniently left out the WIVES part).
And that's when she said it: "If you loved me like Christ loved the Church..."
Maybe the problem is that we're too concerned with the other person and not concerned enough with fulfilling our own responsibilities, which is when we become manipulative and controlling.
The grass isn't always greener on the other side. However, the grass is always greener where it's watered.
Some people are so hard to be around aren't they? And the worst part is when they're Christians. Or worse yet they go to the same church we do! It's one thing to be annoyed by someone we'll probably never see again, but someone we see on a weekly or daily basis?
Avoidance is a common tendency in these cases, but is avoidance really the best way to handle these situations?
Giving becomes so much easier when we realize that it was never really ours in the first place. When you think about it, God has called us to be His investors. How well are we investing what He has given us?
We've all heard it asked from street corners to the pulpit, "If you died tonight, where would you go?" But did God die on a cross for us just so that we could go to Heaven? Maybe this is why many don't buy into the church and its message. Perhaps the real question should be, "If you woke up tomorrow, who would you live for?"
It is the question that leads us, draws us, and determines what we base our success upon. It's easy to ask the wrong questions. But we still must question, to find out God's purpose for our lives, why He has put us here for such a time as this.
Perhaps it has something to do with our dreams.
Jesus isn't the only friend who sticks closer than a brother. There is a huge difference between the penalty of sin, and the power of sin. Just ask the Israelites. God removed the Israelites from Egypt, but removing Egypt from the Israelites was an entirely different process.
Addiction does have its advantages. It always pulls through for us, doesn't it? At least we know what to expect from it. When we think about it, addiction is almost the opposite of faith. As was with the Israelites, instead of trusting that God will provide for us, we turn to something that we know will be there for us. And it will always be there for us. That's the beauty of it.
Addiction is our best friend until it's time to say goodbye. Then it kicks and screams and holds on for dear life.
We all are either trying to get out of Egypt, or we are trying to get Egypt out of us.
The answer to the sin question is really much easier than what many Christians make it. And it lies with the very first conversation between man and Satan. Ever since the first sin, we've been making it about this and that, but really we've been missing the point.
Sin is about us.The answer lies in one question. And the answer to that question might be simpler than we think.
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