From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace.-John 1:16
I have been participating in a Bible study based on the book Unveiling Jesus by Tricia Gunn. We are just finishing up Chapter 14 and getting ready to start Chapter 15. I was looking at the questions for Chapter 15 in the video guide. Question #3 says, "If grace became the focus instead of sin management, how would this affect the Body of Christ?"
That is an AMAZING question! Let me tell you how it would have affected me. When I first came back to the Lord in my early twenties, I tried over and over and over again to get my behavior straight. I could not do it. So, what would I do? I would quit. I would give up. And start doing the things again I had been doing before. I felt like I had to make my own self right. I felt like I had to measure up to God's standard. Guess what? I could not do it in my own flesh!!!
What got me to finally somewhat not living the way that had been wrecking my life? I remember laying in my bed sometime, it was probably in the morning, and I could physically sense that I was grieving the Spirit of God. And when I say grieving, I mean like a parent grieves for their child, you know, out of a sense of love? I could actually feel Him grieving in my heart. LOVE is what did it for me.
I didn't totally get it then, and it would be many years, but slowly I was propelled more toward a path of LOVE. Somebody gave me a tape that was a message called "The Conquering Power of God's Love." I had never heard anything like it before. I listened to it until it broke. I listened to it so much that I can still hear it at times in my head.
So, to go back to the original question...If grace became the focus instead of sin management, how would this affect the Body of Christ?
People would quit struggling with the things that kept them bound. They would know what Jesus did for them. Love would explode out of their hearts and souls and they could be free, the way Jesus intends them to be.
Always, always take it back to the Gospels. What did the people that received from Him look like? What was He doing? What were they doing? There you will find your answers.
I have been participating in a Bible study based on the book Unveiling Jesus by Tricia Gunn. We are just finishing up Chapter 14 and getting ready to start Chapter 15. I was looking at the questions for Chapter 15 in the video guide. Question #3 says, "If grace became the focus instead of sin management, how would this affect the Body of Christ?"
That is an AMAZING question! Let me tell you how it would have affected me. When I first came back to the Lord in my early twenties, I tried over and over and over again to get my behavior straight. I could not do it. So, what would I do? I would quit. I would give up. And start doing the things again I had been doing before. I felt like I had to make my own self right. I felt like I had to measure up to God's standard. Guess what? I could not do it in my own flesh!!!
What got me to finally somewhat not living the way that had been wrecking my life? I remember laying in my bed sometime, it was probably in the morning, and I could physically sense that I was grieving the Spirit of God. And when I say grieving, I mean like a parent grieves for their child, you know, out of a sense of love? I could actually feel Him grieving in my heart. LOVE is what did it for me.
I didn't totally get it then, and it would be many years, but slowly I was propelled more toward a path of LOVE. Somebody gave me a tape that was a message called "The Conquering Power of God's Love." I had never heard anything like it before. I listened to it until it broke. I listened to it so much that I can still hear it at times in my head.
So, to go back to the original question...If grace became the focus instead of sin management, how would this affect the Body of Christ?
People would quit struggling with the things that kept them bound. They would know what Jesus did for them. Love would explode out of their hearts and souls and they could be free, the way Jesus intends them to be.
Always, always take it back to the Gospels. What did the people that received from Him look like? What was He doing? What were they doing? There you will find your answers.
No comments:
Post a Comment