Burdens

I ran across this scripture out of the book of Luke this morning. 

Jesus replied, "And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. (Luke 11:46).

In Luke Chapter 11, Jesus is rebuking the "lawyers" or experts of the law, pretty harshly because they are what I call "hyper-spiritual".  They have claimed things their fathers did as their own, and are being chastised for being clean on the outside, but not on the inside.  My pastor calls these type of folks "make-believers".  They DO all the right things, but bear no fruit of a relationship with God (Jesus) - my own translation of my pastor's definition.

And in response to them telling Jesus that when He is rebuking them he is offending them, Jesus says, in this verse, that they are literaly loading burdens on people that they cannot carry and yet, they don't lift a finger to help them.

It left me with the impression that they wanted to point their fingers and say all the critical ways people were not like them, and exalt themselves and their great heritage, and yet, after putting down the people, and criticising them and pointing out all the ways in which they are broken or fail, they did nothing to assist them.

At the end of the Chapter, in verse 54, it says that these "pharasees" plotted to catch Jesus in something He might say - to catch Him in doing or saying something incorrect or not accurate, because they became hostile.

Now of course, Jesus was and is God, and was and is perfect, and therefore, I doubt they ever "caught" Him in error.  We have multiple records of where they tried to catch Him, to find fault, but they never did - He was and is the perfect will of God.

But, I wonder, as people, and as followers of Christ, do we do that to others?  Do we come along side them and in well-meaning ways point out the "speck" in our brother or sister's eye, or expose their weakness and faults (their very brokeness that often times they have allowed us to see in trust and vulnerability) and then plot to point out all the ways they fall short?

Recently, I have seen some of that in my own life show up on both the receiving and giving end for me and so, am guilty of doing this myself and having it done to me.

As I look in the mirror more and more clearly (1 Corinthians 13) I wonder, how many people in my own life, have I put aside or shut out because they were broken and, was so quick to point out their shortcomings and weaknesses in my attempt to "fix them" or "help them."  Of course, my outward conscious motivation was to help, but in the end, in clarity, anyone who is in Christ is a new creation, amen? 

We are called to love our neighbor as ourself.....

Today, on the eve of Thanksgiving, I am truly thankful that in Christ I myself am a new creation.  I am thankful that His mercy is new every morning and so is mine because He is in me.  I am thankful that He calls things which are NOT (currently) as if they (already) ARE and that I rely upon that in faith.

I am thankful that He who started this work in me is FAITHFUL to complete it to His glory. 

And, I am thankful in my own brokeness and limitations and I am happy that "for just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

I pray Father and thank you, in Jesus's name, that I am NOT a pharasee, weighing down others with burdens and not lifting a finger to help ease them.  I thank YOU that I have eyes to see Your children and my brothers and sisters with the eyes You have and hear with the ears You have, for them, Amen.

"...And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13).

"I am giving you a new commandment to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."  (John 13:34).

We Have a Winner!

Last night in my women’s group, we sat listening to one of the women share.  At it’s core, she was saying that she had friendships and in these certain friendships she was the one fostering and keeping these friendships alive by always being the one who texts, calls, invites and, when she made a conscious effort to cease - her phone and email fell absolutely silent.   She felt frustrated.   In the end, the discussion centered around Philippians 4:3 about thinking on good things, whatever is noble, and lovely….etc., and that we need to always focus our attention on those things above and on good things, and not allow our minds or the enemy distract us with negative things and critical, judgmental things.  She discerned, that since she had become a Christian she felt a distance with many of her friends that were not believers in Jesus, and as she stepped farther and farther down the path with God, the distance grew and grew.  Ultimately, she recognized that while she really wanted them to come along on her journey, it was time to “let go and let God” be in charge of the increase.  Amen! 

I sat truly touched by this woman’s own hurting heart for the fact that she gives so much of her self to people and when it comes time to “do unto others” she is frustrated that it isn’t reciprocated, and at the same time, I sat in awe and my own understanding of my own life and struggles and what it means to be a leader and in ministry.

* * *

To take you “behind the scenes” my first inclination was to shut her down with a spirit that felt religious in nature to me thinking “we just don’t talk about stuff like that, don’t be negative, etc.”  Except, she wasn’t….she was just being open and vulnerable and sharing in trust with me.  I am glad I didn’t miss it….I kept quiet and listened.

Furthermore “behind the scenes”, you see, earlier in the week, up until that hour actually, I had been in my own space of frustration.  Sometimes, being called to be in ministry isn’t about anything other than what you know (the Word) and not anything about how your feel (they didn’t get it, they don’t show up, they don’t participate, I feel rejected….insert any of the foregoing phrases I have used lately in my own conversations with those few I get to sometimes share with myself).

Fast forward a bit to an hour before the group, the Holy Spirit sent a prayer warrior to pray for my group and to pray with me, (thank you, Jesus, for Your unfailing love and for always showing up to take care of your sheep, despite the “space” of the leader in that moment!)  As we ended our prayer of agreement, I grabbed hold of the promise of His appearance, and walked obediently forward.  Not because I “felt” like it, but because the Word says if I ask, and I believe I have it , I have it.  This means I felt no different than I did before the prayer, but was walking out in complete faith!  Can anyone else say “amen” with me to that or am I all alone?

OK, one more aside - As a leader I am focused on facilitating and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead in my group.  I ache at times to be used by the Lord, as a conduit to connect people to Him.  In fact, I pretty much am praying daily “more of You Lord, and less of me….use me, Father….let me be Your hands and feet”. 

* * *

So, back to the group now that I have set the stage and filled you in on the behind the scenes aspect of all that is happening.  Here sits this woman, such a beautiful woman of the Lord, and her life such an amazing testimony of faith and courage and she is sharing her heart with me.  She is vulnerable, she is trusting me, and I am listening….

At first I am listening through my filter of my own experience and feelings.  Hey I feel frustrated, too, right?  The conversation started with “where is everyone tonight?”, and I realized in the moment, that I was thinking that, too, and had personal feelings about my own worth wrapped up in that question….but the Spirit spoke and said “listen”.  And so, I continued to listen. 

Through the conversation as we peeled away the layers (like an onion if you will), I finally saw it in the Spirit with the eyes and ears God has…..her hurting heart, the feelings of inadequacy, the unfairness of it all, and mostly her dilemma of loneliness right now and struggling to let go of the old and grab a hold of the new!  On top of that I know this woman.  I know how she has continued to trust the Lord for in her journey and how incredible she is; how she truly hears God and obeys.  She has a child-like faith that is so appealing and so worth emulating and modeling our own lives after.  Sometimes, she literally goes to the end of the camp DAILY for her manna, in absolute and complete faith without extra money or safety net and the Lord always provides……….she is so much more “out of the boat” with Jesus.  In fact, as she stands on the waves on top of the water with Jesus, I am quite sure she could look me in the eye and say “boat?  what boat?  there was a boat?”

As I listened, not rebuking her, not through the filter of my own feelings, or making it about me in any way, just listening, I was humbled…because had almost missed it because of my own “stuff”.  It was a close call, too.  The conversation could have shifted to an entirely different place about who was or wasn’t this or that, and why aren’t they this or that……….but instead, it became about the Lord, and His promises, and His Word, and I watched the Spirit apply the salve of His grace to her wounds, and I watched the Word grow and swell up in her, almost like a time lapse of a seed sprouting and growing and blooming, right before my eyes in the Spirit.

I am calling that one a win for the Father.  And somewhere in there for me, too because I learned, to listen, to be a conduit for God, and let Him fix it, and let God give the increase  (1 Corinthians 3:7)

Reminds me of a metaphor the Lord showed me years ago now about a simple garden hose.  The water only flows out of that hose with force when there are no kinks in it.  I am just a hose and He is the healing water of life.  I only have to work on keeping the kinks out.  (Of course, this goes for every believer, not just those called to minister.)

I also learned a valuable thing; something I learn over and over again by experience.  If you are prayed up, and in the Word, and open to hear Him, He will use you.  If you use Him like drive-thru and fast food service, you run a risk of missing it.  I fail more than I win I fear but I am determined to be obedient, for Jesus says to me (and everyone):  “why do you call me Lord and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46).

Yep, we have a winner!

For the Joy Set Before Him.....

"For the joy set before........"

I saw this part of Hebrews 12:2 on a post by a father attached to a photograph of his son’s bride-to-be.  In the picture, she was getting ready to be married, in her gown, flowers in hand, hope and excitement in her eyes and I realized, in that moment, that at the cross, He saw His Bride with such love and adoration, that He willed Himself to die.  That He had no supernatural ability to do so, but by sheer choice, He submitted to His Father’s will.

I guess, I have often wondered, in my own musings and private thoughts, what that truly meant.  I mean, did He possess on earth the complexity of the Godhead, including some kind of “super holy spirit power” to remain sinless?  Somehow I have always thought “well maybe He did” yet I know that Scripture says that Jesus emptied Himself of glory and came to earth as a man, the firstborn from the dead; the Second Adam.

He was a man on earth…

Meant He had to go away and spend time with His Father just like you and me.  It meant He was not “all-knowing”, but just like you and me, couldn’t necessarily see around the river bend of life.  He had no easy route or one-of-a-kind anointing that made it possible.  He went into the desert and came back with the power of the Holy Spirit (same Spirit that is available to all of us) and walked out His ministry and life on earth as a man, doing what Adam did not do, in order to fulfill God’s plan. 

Yet, He IS the Father so that means that God sent Himself………..for the joy set before Him……..

He was human on earth………..made a little lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:7).

Now I “knew” this intellectually because I read Scripture, and am familiar with the verses but it sometimes takes a while for something to go from being planted as a seed (through the reading of the Word) to bearing spiritual fruit, amen?  It has been watered in the garden of adversity and been through the refining fire and man, today it is hitting me like a brick upon my heart.  It isn't that I am taking anything away from the cross or God's love but simply a revelation that in my own human form, I doubt I could do it.  In fact, I truly doubt any of us could do it anymore than we, like Abraham, could sacrifice our own child or lay down our lives for our friends as Scripture says.  Yet my God, your God……..emptied Himself, of EVERYTHING, and for the “Joy set before Him” endured the cross……..

It talks about this in Hebrews 12:1-2:

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Means to me in the garden of Gethsemane, He took the cup because He saw the joy set before Him...even though He asked the Father repeatedly for some way out of it.   It seems, the third time He went to pray as the disciples slept, that He must have seen that joy set before Him because He comes back and wakes them up and says "let's go, it's time (Cori's paraphrase of John 18).  In any event, it does appear that something changes, doesn't it?

It also talks about how He emptied Himself in Philippians 2:7-11:

“but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Today I am truly humbled that He emptied Himself, took on the form of a human-being, and not only came to earth to fulfill His plan Himself, but endured the death and rejection He did…

………for the joy set before Him……..

Take a moment with me, to see this so clearly.  The Love of the Father so perfectly orchestrated that He would come and endure the torture, the rejection, the deaf ears that would not listen...

I can't help but take encouragement from what He has done and not lose heart.  I hope you can, too.  To know that He loves you; truly and completely loves you.

You see, Beloved, the joy set before Him was something incredible.  It was something that was so important and so costly and yet so worth the cost.  It was worth the pouring out and emptying of the Father of Himself and all that He is.  It was worth the sacrifice of His only Son, a complete reflection of Himself.  

I look back on biblical history and watch that God destoyed the earth one time by flood, wiped out generations, cast angels out of heaven, all for imperfection and for sin against Him.  Yet for the joy set before Him..........

Can you see it, yet?  Can you fathom what was so important, so worth it, that He did what he did?

The joy set before Him is

……………YOU………

God's Promises

Israel was God’s chosen people.  He told them when he made a covenant with Moses that he would deliver them and be their God:

"But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.'  (Jer. 31)

We all know that this covenant was also conditional upon the law and the people’s ability to keep it - 10 commandments (which of course, we all know we were unable to, lead us into captivity, etc.)  It was a conditional covenant, one that required our cooperation or adherence in order to be fulfilled.  Later on God makes an unconditional covenant with Abraham, which does NOT rely upon man’s adherence.  (Genesis 25).  In His covenant God:

(1) Gave Abraham the promise of a great nation---primarily meaning Israel, but also includes great peoples in the line of Ishmael and Abraham's others sons. In all Abraham, had eight sons, six through his second wife Keturah after Sarah died, (Gen. 25:3). Two peoples descended from Abraham are named specially. They are an earthly group (Israel) "as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore," and a heavenly group (the true church) "as numerous as the stars in the heavens." These two "family trees" form the subject of the mainstream of redemptive history in the Bible.

(2) Abraham was chosen to be the father of numerous descendants, to be blessed personally, to be personally honored, to be a channel of blessing to others.

(3) Those who bless Abraham are to be blessed and those who curse him will be cursed. Blessings on the nations are to come through Abraham.  

(4) Reaffirmation of the promise of a Messiah was made by God to Abraham.

"Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.' So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons that they had gotten in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him." (Gen. 12:1-7)

"And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, 'By myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice." (Gen. 22:15-18)

God then restated the covenant to Issac (Abraham’s son)

"And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the LORD appeared to him, and said, 'Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give to your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves: because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws." (Gen. 26:1-5)

God again restated it to Jacob (descendant of Abraham):

"Jacob left Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place, and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, 'I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you.'" (Gen. 28:10-15)

Can you see God’s plan of redemption in these promises extended to you as His spiritual family?

God is His word (John 1:1 - in the beginning was the Word and the Word was God and was with God…..) means once He says it, it cannot be retracted!.  So, because man failed to adhere to the covenant God made with Israel, in order to fulfill His covenant He made an unconditional covenant to Abraham and all his descendants (of which, by Christ you are one of them!)

How?  JESUS MADE THE WAY POSSIBLE.

"But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry which is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: 'The days will come, says the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah; not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; for they did not continue in my covenant, and so I paid no heed to them, says the Lord. This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach every one his fellow or every one his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.' In speaking of a new covenant he treats the first as obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." (Heb. 8:8-13)

Simply put, it means that in Christ, we are entitled to the same inheritance and promises The Lord promised in the beginning!

2 Cor 1:20:  For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.

I have heard this differenty most of my walk...that all the promises in God are Yes and Amen.....it is us that speaks the Amen to the glory of God though our faith!

Amen:

Strong’s 281:  281 amḗn (the counterpart of the Hebrew OT term, 543 /apeítheia, "steadfast") – properly, sure (certain). 281 (amḗn) is usually translated "amen," and sometimes "verily," "of a truth," "most assuredly," "so let it be."

Some other verses that focus on the fact that the promises made to Israel, through Christ, if we are a believer in Him, are ours:

Rom. 15:8:  For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs.

Heb. 6:13-20: For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.” And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. 

If we do not grasp the totality of what we are entitled to, and have already received by the finished work of the cross, it is no different that joining the gym and then never taking the tour, learning the amenities, but simply going there each day for only a smoothie.  The benefits are there for us, but we bypass them, sometimes out of ignorance or by simple choice.

All the promises are YES in Christ!

I

On Acceptance

God’s Promise of Acceptance

Acceptance:

In life others evaluate us by our performance. Are we successful in our  careers, fit, and attractive? How much wealth do we possess? It's easy to believe God judges us in a similar way–based on our behavior. Although Christians recognize that salvation is by grace, many nonetheless strive for God's acceptance, never sure they have His love.  Some never feel WORTHY of it.

How is it for you?  Let’s ask ourselves two questions and see what reactions we have….

Do you ever think God must be displeased, impatient, or disappointed with you? yes or no?  Explain.  What would you have to do to be sure of His acceptance?

God’s Word teaches that as believers in Jesus, we are completely accepted.   Not partially, but completely.  If we belong to Christ, we share in His holiness. How can that be? Scripture teaches that through Adam's rebellion against God, all of humanity was corrupted, inheriting the disease of sin. But when the Savior died on the cross, He made a way for everyone who believes in Him to become holy:

"Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous" (Rom. 5:18-19 NLT).

• As believers, how do we obtain righteousness (Rom. 3:21-24)?

21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

• Dictionary.com defines justify as "to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit." On what basis do we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1-2)?

 You are innocent and guiltless in the Lord's sight. Describe how that makes you feel.

 Why is it possible to be confident that God's love isn't conditional upon our behavior (Rom. 5:4-8)?

B. God accepts us by grace, not based on performance.

In the first century, some Jewish Christians believed that good works were necessary to earn salvation and make us Christ-like. However, Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that salvation is by faith alone—good works cannot save us (Eph. 2:10; James 2:26) but rather, they should result from our trust in the Savior. We become godly over time by surrendering to the Holy Spirit—not because we follow the Law of Moses or any other set of rules.

Read Galatians 3:1-14.

• How did the Galatians first receive the Spirit (v. 1-4)?
• What was required for them to experience His power (v. 2-5)?
• How did Abraham obtain righteousness (v. 6)?
• The Jews are physical descendants (sons) of Abraham. Who are his spiritual descendants (v.7-9)?
• Why is trying to earn righteousness or justification by observing the law a futile endeavor (v. 10)?
• For what purpose did Christ free believers (Gal. 5:1-2)?

We typically use the term "falling from grace" to mean losing favor with God because of sin.

• Read Galatians 5:4. In context, what do you think Paul meant by "falling from grace"?

 Believers live in confidence and freedom because of grace.

The controversy over circumcision is no longer at the forefront of Christian debate. However, legalism—the idea that believers are justified by what they do––still cripples much of today's church. Some people fear losing their salvation over each sin they commit. More common is the idea that we must meet the Father's standards in order to receive His love and affection. Sometimes legalistic believers have the impression that God feels disgusted when they fall short.

• Do you strive to measure up to rigid standards or follow particular rules of Christian living? If so, how do you feel when you fail?
• Read Romans 8:1-2 and describe why you are free.

Since the time of Abraham, God has purposed that salvation be only by faith, not works. If you are in Christ, rest assured that He accepts you. When sin interrupts fellowship with the Father, He wants to restore His disobedient follower but never ceases to accept the believer as His beloved child.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of righteousness through Your Son. I'm grateful that I no longer have to perform to win Your acceptance. Help me use my freedom to serve You and others. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Acceptance

Acceptance:

In life others evaluate us by our performance. Are we successful in our  careers, fit, and attractive? How much wealth do we possess? It's easy to believe God judges us in a similar way–based on our behavior. Although Christians recognize that salvation is by grace, many nonetheless strive for God's acceptance, never sure they have His love.  Some never feel WORTHY of it.

How is it for you?  Let’s ask ourselves two questions and see what reactions we have….

Do you ever think God must be displeased, impatient, or disappointed with you? yes or no?  Explain.  What would you have to do to be sure of His acceptance?

God’s Word teaches that as believers in Jesus, we are completely accepted.   Not partially, but completely.  If we belong to Christ, we share in His holiness. How can that be? Scripture teaches that through Adam's rebellion against God, all of humanity was corrupted, inheriting the disease of sin. But when the Savior died on the cross, He made a way for everyone who believes in Him to become holy:

"Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous" (Rom. 5:18-19 NLT).

• As believers, how do we obtain righteousness (Rom. 3:21-24)?

21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

• Dictionary.com defines justify as "to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit." On what basis do we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1-2)?

 You are innocent and guiltless in the Lord's sight. Describe how that makes you feel.

 Why is it possible to be confident that God's love isn't conditional upon our behavior (Rom. 5:4-8)?

B. God accepts us by grace, not based on performance.

In the first century, some Jewish Christians believed that good works were necessary to earn salvation and make us Christ-like. However, Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches that salvation is by faith alone—good works cannot save us (Eph. 2:10; James 2:26) but rather, they should result from our trust in the Savior. We become godly over time by surrendering to the Holy Spirit—not because we follow the Law of Moses or any other set of rules.

Read Galatians 3:1-14.

• How did the Galatians first receive the Spirit (v. 1-4)?
• What was required for them to experience His power (v. 2-5)?
• How did Abraham obtain righteousness (v. 6)?
• The Jews are physical descendants (sons) of Abraham. Who are his spiritual descendants (v.7-9)?
• Why is trying to earn righteousness or justification by observing the law a futile endeavor (v. 10)?
• For what purpose did Christ free believers (Gal. 5:1-2)?

We typically use the term "falling from grace" to mean losing favor with God because of sin.

• Read Galatians 5:4. In context, what do you think Paul meant by "falling from grace"?

 Believers live in confidence and freedom because of grace.

The controversy over circumcision is no longer at the forefront of Christian debate. However, legalism—the idea that believers are justified by what they do––still cripples much of today's church. Some people fear losing their salvation over each sin they commit. More common is the idea that we must meet the Father's standards in order to receive His love and affection. Sometimes legalistic believers have the impression that God feels disgusted when they fall short.

• Do you strive to measure up to rigid standards or follow particular rules of Christian living? If so, how do you feel when you fail?
• Read Romans 8:1-2 and describe why you are free.

Since the time of Abraham, God has purposed that salvation be only by faith, not works. If you are in Christ, rest assured that He accepts you. When sin interrupts fellowship with the Father, He wants to restore His disobedient follower but never ceases to accept the believer as His beloved child.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of righteousness through Your Son. I'm grateful that I no longer have to perform to win Your acceptance. Help me use my freedom to serve You and others. In Jesus' name. Amen.

...and the WISDOM to know the difference?

Wisdom……..something I seek after regularly with the Lord and receive more often than not, in complete faith!

I remember way back (into 1987) when I first read the Serenity Prayer:


Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr

I was sitting in an Ala-non meeting in 1987, when I was introduced to this prayer; estranged from an alcoholic husband, trying to make sense and gain wisdom on what to do next, with a baby on my knee.  We have probably heard the first part of that prayer, but rarely the second part, which is the explanation of what it means.  It impacted me, though, and thus I have sought wisdom to know the difference ever since.
Truly, the Lord says it a different way:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3, 5-6

(Hmmmm…..I like the second better than the first, actually.)
I have been musing before the Throne lately, about my path and direction in this life for Jesus!  Who am I, really, for You Father?  But, even in uncertainty and change - do I trust Him, without reservation or hesitation or a care - that is how I trust the Lord.

The Lord gave me a vision in 1998, about unity of His body.  It crossed denominational lines and barriers, lived outside doctrine and tradition, and was a photograph of Agape.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 talks about the application of Agape (sacrificial love):
 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

If Love has a name and it is called Jesus, what has happened to the Church?  Division, strife, competition, rules, doctrine and tradition…. whose kingdom are we building?  The kingdom of God or the kingdom of man (cloaked in church such-and-such?)

Why isn’t it one in the same anymore, Lord?  Why can’t we just be and share and love You as a body of believers (a FAMILY of brothers and sisters)?  Why is it still “oh I can’t come there because I belong to THIS building or I can’t minister there because I tithe at THIS building…..).  It has even gotten to the point where leaders minister from the position of how it affects “their ministries” instead of the Kingdom of heaven!

YUCK! 

I remember a vision once told by a prophet named Rick Joyner.  In his vision, he saw a prison with people in a large yard or compound.  They were running around begging for freedom (even though the Lord has made HUGE holes in the fences for escape to Him that they just could not see).  And, in the watchtower, guards stood, heavily armed and ready to fire with loaded guns.  They kept the people in order, and dictated to them what they should do, when they should do it, etc.  It really appeared like a scene out of any movie where Federal prison is portrayed….

The ugly truth was in that vision, the people were the believers, the compound and prison were the current buildings that represented individual churches and the guards were the individual pastors, protecting THEIR sheep, and prohibiting them from not only being ONE, but from coming to the Lord.
Yet, the Lord’s agenda is not division and separatism.  It is unity!

Jesus Himself says in Matthew 23:37-39 says:

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. “Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! “For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!’”

Are we to remain so unwilling to gather when He says things like:
"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."  John 12:32.

I promise, Lord, I will NOT let go of the vision you gave me for Your Church.  I will continue to preach it and live its conviction by vocation until it comes to fruition.  I will not waiver or compromise it.  I will not throw my pearls to the swine in spite of it.

You are my God and in YOU I find peace and rest!
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.