Grace and Works...Works and Grace

Herein is one of the greatest of struggles in our society today.  To be sure, it is not a new problem, or Paul wouldn't have been writing about it 2000 years ago. But, it just seems that as our world slips more and more into a secularist mindset, that the drive is always to "achieve your dreams" or "be the best you can be"....with that same philosophy also taking over much of contemporary church life.  We hear Paul's teaching about salvation by grace through faith alone, and might even assent to it verbally...but does it become the foundation of our relationship with Jesus?  I think not.  It is almost as if we are living a schizophrenic or kind of bipolar existence with two separate persona...one which wants with all that we are to believe in the freely given grace and mercy of the Father and His great love for us...and another that is unsure and needs to strive to be good so that we can earn His favour.  

We are not helped at all by either of the extremes so prevalent in the church today.  On the one hand are the liberals who utterly reject the Law, deliberately setting aside the standards that God calls believers to and promoting a kind of cheap grace bereft of any moral obligations.  On the other are the moralists, modern day Pharisees, who are so rule bound that grace is given mere lip service in the drive to be pure and Holy before Him.  In the middle are those who are torn asunder by their desire to be a part of the world into which they have been born and yet reborn to the one into which they have been called.  Around them stand a confused majority wondering both what the church actually believes and why they would ever want to be a part of it.   And we wonder why our churches are empty!

We are weak...alleluia! "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly...God show His love for us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.  There is, therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  (Romans 5:6; 8:1; 3:23) "I will put my law within them and will write it on their hearts and they will be my people" Jeremiah31:33 "do not think that I have come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until it is accomplished " Matthew 5:17-18

We don't need the extremes, they are destructive, both in society and the church. What we need, what the world needs is Jesus who is the personification and totality of the grace, mercy and law of God.   It is only when we are focused completely on Him and remain in Him that we are empowered to be righteous and holy before God.

What Can Flesh do To Me?

What can flesh do to me?  The short answer is nothing! In Psalm 56, the writer is asking a rhetorical question, but it is a good one for us to ponder. We often get so focused on the trials and tribulations that daily surround us, that we loose sight of the reality of God's love, protection and provision. God knows when and how we are hurting.(verse 8) He stands before our enemies and turns them away. (9) Ultimately, God delivers us from death (13) Therefore, "What can man do to me?" The answer is nothing!  Why? Because God is for me. (9) 

There is the promise, how then do we access it? The Psalmist has an answer for that too. "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You." (3) For, God is trustworthy. (3,4, 11) And here is the response to God's great love for us. We, "praise His word." (4,10) We are confident in His presence and therefore fearless. (11) We give God thanks (12), and we deliberately "walk in the light". This is the purpose and focus of Gods great love for us.

God's word is so rich in promise for our daily lives...a great, largely untapped resource.  Bishop Silas has found that less that 10% of committed church people have a daily time in God's word. You can help another find this fount of encouragement by reading with them. This is what "walking in the light" really means.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

How often do we prepare and amour ourselves, put on things made with human hands and guided by broken human hearts…then wonder why the battle is lost?  What do you think would be different if we had the courage to declare as David did to Goliath, “It is His (God’s) battle, not ours. The Lord will give you to us” (1Samuel 17:46 NLT) And…then do whatever He calls upon us to do, no matter how fear or anxiety producing it becomes.  .

If we wait upon the Lord and walk in His power, according to His purposes and timing, the bible tells us that all things will unfold as they should.  As David said in Psalm 9:3, “My enemies turn away in retreat; they are over thrown and destroyed before you.”  He shed the human armour and faced Goliath with God’s weapons. All God is waiting for is for us to call out to Him in the same way.

Each of us have Goliaths that we face every day; problems and resistance that seem insurmountable…even impossible.  Many times they are.  We don’t have the power or the ability to deal with them.  But He does, He knows. He will.  Psalm 9:9-10 NLT, “The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you.

Lord, I pray that you will be a stronghold for all who have the sense put their trust in you, and that they will have the courage and wisdom to depend not on their own strength, but wholly upon you for deliverance.  Amen