Do stuff with and for your neighbors
By the Grace of God
Who are you deep inside? What are you doing and thinking when no one is looking, or deep down where no one sees? Are you able to describe yourself in these terms? Are you able to articulate both the good and the bad that dwells in you? Can you be honest with yourself and with God about what's really in you? Do you ever venture out and share these things with others, or does that feel too scary?
Sometimes people think the chief end of our moral or spiritual lives is to be good boys and girls. And, unfortunately, if we are not good boys or girls, then we must be bad boys or girls. This view can become grounds for building lives of pride in our goodness or shame for our badness. This has little or nothing to do with Gospel - it is merely a matter of moralism and legalism.
Instead, God has provided a better way. He has given His Son, so we can be free to be as we really are, with no need to pretend, exaggerate or hide. The apostle Paul recognized that he did not deserve to be included as an apostle. He had not "been with Jesus" as the other apostles had, and he had even spent the early portion of his religious career persecuting those who believed in Jesus. Though he had no "right" to be an apostle, God called him one. In light of this undeserved favor he wrote, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect." (1 Corinthians 15:10)
We, too, need to recognize that we are what and who we are by the grace of God. We will never earn our status with God. He came and purchased us in the midst of our rebellion, and He drew us to Himself - we did not initiate our own seeking. In Christ we have become full-on sons and daughters, not by any of our doing, but by His. So, we have no need to pretend or hide. There is no condemnation or shame that needs to stick to our identities. We are His; He has set us free - past, present and future. Ours is simply to learn to wear this God-purchased freedom inside and out.
The application of this grace is simple. It means continual, unabashed honesty. God has extended His forgiving grace to you so that you can be who you are in Him without falsehood, needless guilt, or any air of pride. You are now free to share your thoughts, dreams and fears with others because your life and standing depend on God, not your rule keeping or abilities. Is this grace too good to be true; won't it lead to the increase of immorality in our lives? No, it won't; quite to the contrary, it will lead to great thankfulness and desire to live more and more for and in God. Give it a try. Stop hiding and begin to open up more deeply to others whom you trust. Share some of your scary hidden places, and experience God's grace and freedom in new and exhilarating ways. Feel free to be who you really are by the grace of God.
Standing in grace with you,
Pastor Tom
tgriffith@rolcboston.org
www.rolcboston.org
Sometimes people think the chief end of our moral or spiritual lives is to be good boys and girls. And, unfortunately, if we are not good boys or girls, then we must be bad boys or girls. This view can become grounds for building lives of pride in our goodness or shame for our badness. This has little or nothing to do with Gospel - it is merely a matter of moralism and legalism.
Instead, God has provided a better way. He has given His Son, so we can be free to be as we really are, with no need to pretend, exaggerate or hide. The apostle Paul recognized that he did not deserve to be included as an apostle. He had not "been with Jesus" as the other apostles had, and he had even spent the early portion of his religious career persecuting those who believed in Jesus. Though he had no "right" to be an apostle, God called him one. In light of this undeserved favor he wrote, "By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not without effect." (1 Corinthians 15:10)
We, too, need to recognize that we are what and who we are by the grace of God. We will never earn our status with God. He came and purchased us in the midst of our rebellion, and He drew us to Himself - we did not initiate our own seeking. In Christ we have become full-on sons and daughters, not by any of our doing, but by His. So, we have no need to pretend or hide. There is no condemnation or shame that needs to stick to our identities. We are His; He has set us free - past, present and future. Ours is simply to learn to wear this God-purchased freedom inside and out.
The application of this grace is simple. It means continual, unabashed honesty. God has extended His forgiving grace to you so that you can be who you are in Him without falsehood, needless guilt, or any air of pride. You are now free to share your thoughts, dreams and fears with others because your life and standing depend on God, not your rule keeping or abilities. Is this grace too good to be true; won't it lead to the increase of immorality in our lives? No, it won't; quite to the contrary, it will lead to great thankfulness and desire to live more and more for and in God. Give it a try. Stop hiding and begin to open up more deeply to others whom you trust. Share some of your scary hidden places, and experience God's grace and freedom in new and exhilarating ways. Feel free to be who you really are by the grace of God.
Standing in grace with you,
Pastor Tom
tgriffith@rolcboston.org
www.rolcboston.org
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