Guilded Shackles

 

Religion and Legalism are a beautiful set of guilded, gold plated, jewel encrusted shackles. They may be pretty, but the result is still bondage.

 

I am finding my focus changing lately. By that I mean I have become more focused on how I relate to God than how I relate to other people. I find myself going back to the basics of my being saved by “grace through faith and that not of myself.” In times past I have had a tendency to be a bit legalistic about some things. It seems that is especially true when I am thinking of myself. I have been reminded as of late that I am and have always been saved and kept by His grace (enabling) and through faith (belief that He paid the price for my sins, all of them). On my best day or on my worst God is not any more or less pleased with me because when He looks at me He sees Jesus’ sacrifice. I know this is true but have allowed myself to get into this performance mindset concerning myself. I believe this applies to other people no doubt but I have caught myself acting like I have been called to a special place in ministry or leadership so I must keep my place of calling through my being good enough. Ugh! Uncovered & exposed legalism! The truth is I don’t deserve to be used but He is willing. I don’t deserve His favor and He won’t let me earn it, but He will give it to me. I don’t even deserve His love and compassion and He gives it to me anyway.  It is like the Lord told Paul about his “thorn in the flesh”

 

^“8  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.“ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
¹⁰  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

2 Cor 12:8-10 (ESV)

God’s grace or enabling is needed by and sufficient for ME just as much as it is for any one else. Why should this come as a revelation to me I just don’t know. I am just grateful that I am being delivered from a performance mindset, not just where others are concerned but where I am concerned as well.

 

Speak the truth

It is kind of striking to me how some things come in groups in my life. One group of things that have been coming in my life lately is difficult conversations. To some of you I may seem to be otherwise, but I hate confrontation and uncomfortable conversations. I don’t like to have those kinds of discussions. Historically I have put them off to the last moment and handled them badly. I was reading the other day and I came across this scripture in Matthew:

 

Matt 5:36-37 (ESV)

³⁶ And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
³⁷ Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

 

What I take out of this is that I need to be willing to tell the truth “in love”. If I try to candy coat or mask what I am saying it is sin. I should be plain in my speech, and not always trying to give myself a way out. When I boil it all down these things really are control and manipulation. What people need is the truth from us, in love, and not loaded with manipulation, positioning and agenda.

 

Just a thought  

Changes

If you are close to me you know that there are some changes going on in my life recently, which is why I haven’t written much lately. I have moved back to Jacksonville to be with my family. The good news is that my family is well and our relationships are still great. Marcia and I are however dealing with some life altering decisions in our personal and ministerial lives. We really covet your prayers in this current season. As always, we are looking for the mind of Christ and the will of God. That is what we want and nothing else.