"Yet for all the talk about being good, still no one can answer the fundamental question: What level of good is good enough? Bizarre. At stake is our eternal destination, yet we are more confident about lasagna recipes than the entrance requirements for heaven. God has a better idea: 'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God' (Eph 2:8). We contribute nothing. Zilch. As opposed to the merit badge of the Scout, salvation of the soul is unearned. A gift. Our merits merit nothing. God's work merits everything."
Max Lucado, Grace: More Than We Deserve, Better Than We Imagine, Thomas Nelson, 2012, 47.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Friday, May 24, 2013
Grace - How to Stop the Pain
James Richards, author of "How to Stop the Pain", says:
"Too often I sit in counseling sessions with people who say, 'This person has done this to me for years, and I am sick of it. He is mean and uncaring. He has hurt me for years.' I often ask, 'How did he respond when you discussed this in the past?' Then, to my utter amazement, I find that they have never discussed it. It is true that the offender should have been sensitive. But if it was not important enough for you to bring it up before now, then you are a partaker in your own pain.'
How true. And he continues:
"The goal of confrontation must be to help that person as much as to help yourself. You must help him to understand the nature of the offense. He needs to realize the effect his actions have on others so that he can have the opportunity do something about it."
How unfortunate that we rarely extend a second chance to people--or even allow them the opportunity to offer a sincere apology after we've given them time to come to an awareness of how their actions affected us.
"Too often I sit in counseling sessions with people who say, 'This person has done this to me for years, and I am sick of it. He is mean and uncaring. He has hurt me for years.' I often ask, 'How did he respond when you discussed this in the past?' Then, to my utter amazement, I find that they have never discussed it. It is true that the offender should have been sensitive. But if it was not important enough for you to bring it up before now, then you are a partaker in your own pain.'
How true. And he continues:
"The goal of confrontation must be to help that person as much as to help yourself. You must help him to understand the nature of the offense. He needs to realize the effect his actions have on others so that he can have the opportunity do something about it."
How unfortunate that we rarely extend a second chance to people--or even allow them the opportunity to offer a sincere apology after we've given them time to come to an awareness of how their actions affected us.
Grace=Peace...even among ourselves,
Jeremy
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Grace - Live Loved
Just a short message today. I hope you're all doing well.
Are we aware of our Father's love for us? I submit to you that if we were to truly dive into this awareness, none of life's disappointments--none of our "issues"--would adversely affect us.
I see people struggling, and they need help, but we must start with the love of the Father. An awareness of His love for us calms us, it stills us. Being the Anchor of our soul, He assures us that all is well. Our mind stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3) gives us peace.
As Wayne Jacobsen says above, our perception and decisions are affected by the level of awareness we have.
I hope you will stop and reflect on just how loved you are. It will affect every perception you have and decision you make.
If you are struggling with an addiction or loneliness or depression, I submit that it's not strength you need, but to rest in the presence of His love for you. It will calm you. It will heal you.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
Monday, May 06, 2013
Grace - The Awareness of Our Sins Does Not Produce Righteousness.
In a recent conversation, I was reminded of a book I read five years ago. This book was the last book I read immediately before Grace took on a whole new meaning for me. The book is called "The Valley of Vision" and it's a collection of Puritan prayers.
(You can find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Vision-collection-Puritan-Devotions/dp/0851512283/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367264793&sr=1-8&keywords=the+valley+of+decision).
I do recommend that you read this book, because there are some really great prayers; just be aware of the tendency of their prayers to shift focus.
In these prayers, the Puritans wavered between focusing on their own sinful actions and the work of Jesus Christ. They found hope in Christ, but there was always something in them that seemed to focus on the "not yet" of holiness, instead of the "now". I'm sure I can't give them the proper credit they're due, but those prayers were actually part of the process I journeyed through to discover the amazing news of Grace.
(You can find it on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Vision-collection-Puritan-Devotions/dp/0851512283/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367264793&sr=1-8&keywords=the+valley+of+decision).
I do recommend that you read this book, because there are some really great prayers; just be aware of the tendency of their prayers to shift focus.
In these prayers, the Puritans wavered between focusing on their own sinful actions and the work of Jesus Christ. They found hope in Christ, but there was always something in them that seemed to focus on the "not yet" of holiness, instead of the "now". I'm sure I can't give them the proper credit they're due, but those prayers were actually part of the process I journeyed through to discover the amazing news of Grace.
Many of their prayers spoke of contrition, with which I, not coming from a Catholic background, don't have a church-initiated history. "Acts of Contrition" is a pregnant thought to which I'm not necessarily willing to give birth in this post. My point in writing this to you is to describe how my perspective shifted from my short-comings and failures, to the realization that my only perspective is to see Jesus. And I've chosen to remain there, despite the times when some would say that one should be more aware of one's sin(s).
I am of the opinion that the institutionalized church has done believers a great injustice by insisting we spend hours grieving over our sins. Some churches would even insist that should there be acts or sacrifices on our part to make right our wrongs. To these acts, I might agree in part, if they relate to other people, but never to the exclusion that our sins have already been forgiven by God. And it is for this reason that we must move to see Jesus and keep our eyes on Him, but not in order to assure ourselves that we are still forgiven (as if at some point our forgiveness would be revoked), but rather for the freeing understanding that Jesus IS our justification, our redemption, our sanctification--our forgiveness. The damage done by such internal introspection taught to us by the church institution is a wavering of our faith--are we forgiven or not? are we righteous or not? are we sanctified or not? etc, etc. What I see are Christians who generally cannot celebrate, because they don't know the security of their life in Christ. The introspection we've become accustomed to--even thought of as holy--has undermined our confidence. The idea that introspection actually would make us holier baffles my mind. "Let's get together and make sin the theme of our meeting."
No, thanks.
It's as if we've been led to believe that the key to holiness and righteousness is be to aware of our sin and that we must remain in such a reflective state. That's totally different than the exhortations found in the Bible. Yes, to become a Christian, one must have that initial awareness of condition of sin before a holy God, but does a Christian stay there? Should a Christian return there? Do we "look back" to the cross to crucify something in us, or do we rejoice because of a work that Christ has already done? All the gifts are already under the tree, but it does take time for us to get around to handling and unwrapping each gift.
Not only should we not look at our past or present sins and react with an effort to maintain our holiness, but we have the confidence that even future sins, which are already forgiven, cannot affect our condition of righteousness. If that weren't amazing enough, here's the kicker: we can't even look to the Law to aid us in our introspective search to root out sin so we can be holy. Why? For at least two reasons: 1. The Law doesn't make any one righteous (Romans 3:19-20 and Galatians 3:11) and 2. the Law was crucified:
"When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." (Col. 2:13-14, NASB)
The awareness of sin NEVER produces righteousness. It's only faith that our righteousness is Christ's righteousness, which He gives us, that causes the heart to rejoice.
And honestly, that's the language that I would like to hear from brothers and sisters in Christ. A language replete with confidence in their reality in Christ. And when we do sin, I pray we would never look to a list of DOs and DON'Ts to inspire us to regroup and redouble our efforts. What do we do after we sin? We remind ourselves of the truth:
"God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord." (1 Cor. 1:30-31, NLT)
The motivation and ability to not sin was never found in clinging to a list or even a command*, really. The command was only given to us to prove we could not obey (see Romans 5:20 and Galatians 3:21). Obedience is found in the awareness of the Father's love and our reality in Christ--the security of our lives. That's faith, and that's why every Christian alive should be always rejoicing.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
*For those who would refer me to John 8:11, in which we've always read "Go, and sin no more" as a stern command, I submit to you the following thought: which might have remained in her thoughts more, the act of love or the command? We can't know for sure, but we do know that it is God's kindness that causes us to think differently about our actions/condition. I believe that the woman who had been caught in adultery had just experienced the most loving act ever done to her when Jesus chose mercy above justice. Perhaps for the first time in her life a man treated her with love, dignity and respect, and it is for that very reason that we Christians need to see Jesus and all the benefits of our reality in Him. Let's focus on Him and not on ourselves--Since Jesus is not counting our sins against us, why would we?
I am of the opinion that the institutionalized church has done believers a great injustice by insisting we spend hours grieving over our sins. Some churches would even insist that should there be acts or sacrifices on our part to make right our wrongs. To these acts, I might agree in part, if they relate to other people, but never to the exclusion that our sins have already been forgiven by God. And it is for this reason that we must move to see Jesus and keep our eyes on Him, but not in order to assure ourselves that we are still forgiven (as if at some point our forgiveness would be revoked), but rather for the freeing understanding that Jesus IS our justification, our redemption, our sanctification--our forgiveness. The damage done by such internal introspection taught to us by the church institution is a wavering of our faith--are we forgiven or not? are we righteous or not? are we sanctified or not? etc, etc. What I see are Christians who generally cannot celebrate, because they don't know the security of their life in Christ. The introspection we've become accustomed to--even thought of as holy--has undermined our confidence. The idea that introspection actually would make us holier baffles my mind. "Let's get together and make sin the theme of our meeting."
No, thanks.
It's as if we've been led to believe that the key to holiness and righteousness is be to aware of our sin and that we must remain in such a reflective state. That's totally different than the exhortations found in the Bible. Yes, to become a Christian, one must have that initial awareness of condition of sin before a holy God, but does a Christian stay there? Should a Christian return there? Do we "look back" to the cross to crucify something in us, or do we rejoice because of a work that Christ has already done? All the gifts are already under the tree, but it does take time for us to get around to handling and unwrapping each gift.
Not only should we not look at our past or present sins and react with an effort to maintain our holiness, but we have the confidence that even future sins, which are already forgiven, cannot affect our condition of righteousness. If that weren't amazing enough, here's the kicker: we can't even look to the Law to aid us in our introspective search to root out sin so we can be holy. Why? For at least two reasons: 1. The Law doesn't make any one righteous (Romans 3:19-20 and Galatians 3:11) and 2. the Law was crucified:
"When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross." (Col. 2:13-14, NASB)
The awareness of sin NEVER produces righteousness. It's only faith that our righteousness is Christ's righteousness, which He gives us, that causes the heart to rejoice.
And honestly, that's the language that I would like to hear from brothers and sisters in Christ. A language replete with confidence in their reality in Christ. And when we do sin, I pray we would never look to a list of DOs and DON'Ts to inspire us to regroup and redouble our efforts. What do we do after we sin? We remind ourselves of the truth:
"God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, "If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord." (1 Cor. 1:30-31, NLT)
The motivation and ability to not sin was never found in clinging to a list or even a command*, really. The command was only given to us to prove we could not obey (see Romans 5:20 and Galatians 3:21). Obedience is found in the awareness of the Father's love and our reality in Christ--the security of our lives. That's faith, and that's why every Christian alive should be always rejoicing.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
*For those who would refer me to John 8:11, in which we've always read "Go, and sin no more" as a stern command, I submit to you the following thought: which might have remained in her thoughts more, the act of love or the command? We can't know for sure, but we do know that it is God's kindness that causes us to think differently about our actions/condition. I believe that the woman who had been caught in adultery had just experienced the most loving act ever done to her when Jesus chose mercy above justice. Perhaps for the first time in her life a man treated her with love, dignity and respect, and it is for that very reason that we Christians need to see Jesus and all the benefits of our reality in Him. Let's focus on Him and not on ourselves--Since Jesus is not counting our sins against us, why would we?
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Grace - My First Step
I'm not perfect in my behavior--none of us is. I've got hang-ups--all of us do. There are things I've done that people hold against me, and I, too, have been hurt and had occasion to be offended, especially when people have either shut me out of their lives, or held grudges against me for years without ever honestly approaching me about them, or even both. But in recent months I've grown to move past the forgiveness that people normally offer, which is really only a platitude, to the importance of non-judgment and a willingness for restoration and reconciliation--all which more accurately represents the heart God desires us to have for each other. It's a result of applying Grace teaching. I just wish we were more patient and honest with each other than we are.
Recently, two friends have shared with me how the Gospel of Grace is being resisted at their respective churches. Topics such as sanctification, sinner vs. saint, and assurance of salvation are always at hand, and that's the case with these two friends who are preaching grace and bearing much fruit along with those who receive and apply the Gospel. What I find is that people flock to Jesus when the Gospel (and these topics) are taught aright. But, in contrast, those with differing views tend to -- and I mean no insult or condemnation -- these brothers and sisters tend to have their eyes focused on themselves, rather than Christ. They would never say that, but in some ways, it's as though we were all trained to look to ourselves and our resolve to live the Christian life. "Jesus is great, but you need to get to work." I think I'm seeing more and more that that kind of "living" is devoid of the life for which Jesus died and poured out His Spirit.
Joy? Miracles? Revelation of His love that causes you to weep? Experiencing His heart *for* you? Gifts of healing? Prophetic words of knowledge? Rest in Father?
Where are these among us? And why is each of them *not* a part of our daily life?
I believe it's because, 1). the Gospel is preached along with exceptions, and 2). we've been taught to be suspicious of good news. We've heard that God loves us, but that message is effectively cancelled when we're then told to do something for God. And why do we have to always be at work? Because when someone "qualifies" the Gospel message and limits the work of God's love toward us, we are essentially told that we're not good enough yet and that we haven't been sorrowful enough for our failures. That's the work that we're told we should always be about. We're told that it's us who needs to actively maintain our salvation and especially our righteousness and holiness. I don't know about you, but that's a heavy weight, but it's a burden we can't carry. Only Christ can.
"Learning to trust Him...is not something any of us can resolve in an instant; it's something we'll grow to discover for the whole of our lives, and He teaches us with more patience than we've ever known" Wayne Jacobsen
Because of the subliminal message that "the Gospel is too good to be true", or "Jesus is not enough, you need to sacrifice something else", I believe we're robbed of the full freedom which we're meant to live in. We can only experience that freedom when we trust. It really is that simple.
I remember that the first step I took on this road to freedom was when I understood the revelation that I no longer had a sinful nature. I likened my previous experiences to an attempt to remain stable on shifting sands; if the battle in me was on the two foundations of myself (two natures), then I never, never, never stood a chance for victory. But, because the sinful body has been removed, this revelation showed me that the battle was in my thought life, not in my nature, and Holy Spirit now sought to reveal this truth of my identity in Christ. I realized that I was a saint the moment I believed in Jesus, and if I sinned, it didn't change my nature, but that action was inconsistant with who I really was: a saint, not a sinner.
I didn't need to ask to be forgiven; I already was. I didn't need to be sanctified; I already was. I didn't need to climb the mountain of the Lord; I was already seated with Him in the highest of places! We're not bringing heaven's kingdom into our realm; we are bringing our real realm, the kingdom, into this natural realm.
This is victory; this is freedom. This is reigning in life and far, far, far, above simply avoiding sin and doing good, which has the fixated attention of most of the church.
Someone preached Grace to me, and Grace taught me. You may have heard someone also preach that John 1:17 says: "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." The verb "came" is in the singular form in the Greek, not plural (grace and truth). The reality is that grace is the truth and the truth is grace; they are inseparable. It is KNOWING the truth through the preaching of grace that brings freedom.
So, if you've made it through reading this post to this point, I hope you'll take what I've said to heart and realize that the Gospel is probably a lot better and Christ in you more complete than you've thought. You're released from trying to fix your life. You're released from holding judgment against others. You're released to live loved. You're released to see Jesus, and Jesus only as your freedom, life, righteousness, holiness, and refuge. Paul focused on resting, and God did more through him than through any other apostle. Let's see what happens for you when you rest as well.
Grace=Peace,
Jeremy
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