The End of the Law

Balance.

I hate that word!

I mean, I undersand it.   I've even used it.  I get the whole point of it.  And I understand that extremes can run the risk of missing the bigger issue that "balance" can bring.  But I still hate that word.  It seems to me that balance is a word used by people who are too afraid to actually risk being called extreme.  Fear is the fuel to "balance".

This is no greater seen than in the grace and law discussion among Christians.  Grace preachers are constantly being accused of being loose with the Gospel and giving people a license to sin, while law people (legalists) are imprisoning people in bondage to duties and works.  The answer, many people say, is balance.  Obviously we have to rely on grace, no one with an ounce of Scriptural knowledge could deny this, but too make sure we don't go overboard we must balance it with law (works, duties, performance, behavior, etc.).

This argument is not new and probably isn'g going away anytime soon, but let me say right up front and without equivocation:

Grace and law do not mix! 

 Not ever, not in any capacity.  Grace alone is the nature of the Gospel.  Period!  Now some will accuse me of being one of those extreme grace preachers and I would repsond by saying, "absolutely!"  Grace is a drink that must be drunk straight, without any chaser.  A mixture of grace and law is law, not balance.

If I have a bottle of 99% natural spring water, taken from the source without contamination, and then add 1% poop particles to it, are you going to drink it?  Of course not.  Why?  Because you now have a bottle of 100% poop particles.  The same is true with grace and law.  When even 1 ounce of law is added to grace, it completely nullifies grace and strips it of its power.

The Father's plan was not to send us law, but to send us grace, and He did so in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ.

"Well, what about the law?" so many people ask, almost offended.  The answer, the law is now null and void and holds no sway over you.  Many then respond with, "But Jesus said that He did not come to destroy (make null and void, of no consequence to us) the law, but to fulfill it".  And they are absolutely right!

Let's look at an example:  Let's say I just bought a new car.  Now I didn't have the money to actually pay for the car so a bank loaned me the money to buy the car and made an arrangement with me to pay them until that note is paid off in full.  So every month the bank sends me a reminder of what I owe them and I in turn send them payment.  During this process, as long as I hold up my end of the bargain - keep paying the monthly payments on time - we have a good relationship.  But, if I don't then the bank has consequences for my default.  Understand that the bank and I are not friends.  We don't hang out and BBQ on Saturday afternoons.  They are there for a specific purpose:  To keep me in line UNTIL our arrangement is completed.  Now, on month 60 I write a check to the bank for the final payment of our arrangement, upon which I now get the title deed to my vehicle.  Why did I get the title deed?  Because I FULFILLED the obligation of that arrangement.  Now, if on month 61 the bank sends me a note saying that my payment is due, we are going to have a problem.  Why?  Because not only do I not owe them anything anymore, we don't even have a relation any longer.  Our arrangement is over.  It ended.  We are not friends.  It would be stupid of me to continue to send them a monthly payment for what has already been paid in full! 


In the same way, Jesus did not come to destroy the law, He came to FULFILL it, which He did on the Cross.  Now, the legalities of the law are over.  We no longer have a relation to it.  It is not our friend.  And to continue to "pay" it though it has already been paid in full, is really quite stupid!

You want more proof?  Let's see what the Apostle Paul had to say:

Now BEFORE faith came, we WERE held captive under the law, imprisoned UNTIL the coming faith would be revealed.  So then, the law WAS our guardian UNTIL Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER A GUARDIAN, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.  (Galatians 3:23-26)

And also:

Or do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives?  For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage.  Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.  For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.  But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. (Romans 7:1-6)

You can clearly see from just these two passages that Paul understood and taught that we are dead to the law.  It is no longer for our benefit and we are under no obligation to it.  In fact, in the Romans 7 passage Paul is even drawing the parallel that to continue to "obey" the law once we have benefited from Christ's perfect sacrifice would be like a woman committing adultery.  Why?  Because grace and law do not mix!

My friend, be free today.  You are not under any obligation to the law.  Do not let anyone put you in condemnation or bondage by calling you to works or behavior.  Christ is your new life.  Enjoy Him.

Cheers!

The Joy Of The Lord

Most of us have probably heard the phrase "the joy of the Lord is my strength" at some point or another. In my experience, it seems that this particular phrase has become more of a saying people quote to one another than the life and truth that it was intended to carry.

Let me explain. Many people use this phrase when describing themselves in a difficult situation or as a "pep talk" for someone else who is going through a tough time. It has become a cliche saying for many Christians. The problem with this is that is has lost all its power and intent. This phrase, in its original context, has a key for us to truly enjoy the Lord and live in the fullness of His incredible joy.

The story of Nehemiah is one that may or may not be familiar to you so we will give just a brief overview. The Jews had been in exile and captivity for many years and had finally gone back to Judah, their home. Nehemiah, a Jew, was a wine bearer for King Artaxerxes. One day some fellow Jews came to visit Nehemiah and he inquired about his fellow Jews. The report was not good. In fact, Judah had been destroyed with the "wall of Jerusalem being torn down and the gates destroyed by fire".

Nehemiah fasts and prays and mourns for his people and cries out to God for help. God answers Nehemiah by giving him favor with the king and, to make a long story short, provides Nehemiah with all the money and resources he needs to go and have the city rebuilt. So Nehemiah goes and begins the process of rebuilding the city, facing opposition along the way, but persisting in the call he has. Eventually, the city is rebuilt and the people are gathered together to celebrate and read the law, which for many years had been out of their hands.

That brings us to chapter 8, where this famous phrase is located. Now again, understand that the people are gathered in their "new" city and are hearing the law read to them afresh and anew. This should be a happy time but instead the people are weeping. Let's look at what it says:

Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, "Amen! Amen!" as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, "Don't mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is holy and a sacred day before the Lord your God." For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law (Nehemiah 8:6;9)

We can draw many conclusions from these verses as to why they were weeping on such a celebrated day, maybe it was simply like it said, they were weeping as they listened to the Law, knowing that they had simply transferred one form of bondage to another. I believe this passage is prophetic of the New Covenant and the realities that come with the finished work of the Cross.

We have all, at one time, been in bondage and captivity to sin with our walls and gates destroyed by its enslavement. Like, Nehemiah in his time, God was grieved at this bondage and sent One to rescue and redeem us. The problem is that many who have been freed from sin have simply traded their bondage of sin for another - the bondage of law and rules. You can't have both freedom and bondage. The problem with much of modern Christianity is that we have been freed from our bondage to sin through Jesus Christ but we "weep and mourn" because we are clinging to a law that has been completely fulfilled in Jesus and now has no control over us.

The real key is what is said next: Then he continued and said, Go and celebrate, eat the fat and drink the sweet wine, for this day is holy to the Lord your God; and be not grieved, depressed or sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Go and celebrate! That is your part of the New Covenant - go and celebrate. Eat the fat and drink the wine. Do you know what the fat is? In those days, when the priest made the sacrifice of the lamb, once the sacrifice was consumed what was left over was the fat, the goodness of the meat. Kind of like a BBQ. Once the sacrifice was complete, the priest got to take and eat the fat of the sacrifice, the good part, the tasty part, the part that makes you happy. I love to BBQ and any one who loves to eat meat will tell you that the flavor is in the fat. The best part is the fat because it containes the part that makes you happy. Jesus said to eat His flesh and drink His blood which is the New Covenant. Jesus was sacrificed and as priests of God, we get to enjoy the fat and drink the wine. Do you know why? Because it makes you happy!

This day - all your days in freedom - are holy to the Lord, therefore there should be no sadness or depression or grieving because those things are NOT a part of your New Covenant and New Creation realities. In God's presence, which you and I live in continually, there is fullness of joy. Why? Because we know to eat the fat and drink the wine! The joy of the Lord is our strength - every day and in every situation because we have learned to eat the fat and drink the wine.

Here is the key to your unending joy - feast on Jesus! Eat the fat and drink the wine and forever be intoxicated on Him. In the natural, someone who is intoxicated is "happy", why? because they are overtaken by a substance that overpowers them and relieves them of their distresses. In the same way, but only greater, the intoxication of the Spirit makes you eternally happy and releases you from all of the cares and worries that life tries to put in your way. You can literally laugh in the face of adversity because it has no power compared to the intoxication and inebriation of the feast that is Jesus and His complete work on the Cross.

So go ahead, let go of your mourning and weeping and everything that holds you in, go to the altar and take a big swipe of the fat and a goblet full of wine and enjoy the joy that is the Lord!

Cheers!

Thoughts On Hell (by Francois du Toit)

Today I am actually reposting a note by Francois du Toit, the author of the Mirror Translation.  He talks about our obsession with hell and how the whole conversation is missing the point, and also how we have allowed certain words to be hijacked from us when their true meaning have their origin in the heart of the Godhead.  It is a little long, but well worth the read.  Enjoy!!

It is so sad that for many years the church had to reduce its message to a heaven or hell theme in order to persuade people into a decision for Christ.
The Gospel persuades man what God believes and what God achieved on humanity’s behalf in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If the Gospel has the power to get people to fall head over heels in love with God and to love their neighbor as much as they love themselves, then this Gospel demands our total attention and emphasis.
This automatically frees anyone anyway from the dread of hell or any sense of pending punishment.
There is no law against the free expression of the fruit of the spirit. No one can exaggerate love, peace, joy, endurance, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self control. Legalism can neither match nor contradict this. There is no law against love! Galatians 2:22,23.
The urgency to tell everyone the good news of their redeemed innocence because of the success of the cross and God’s act of kindness in Christ to rescue mankind from an inferior expression of life into the most attractive life possible can never be matched by a fear motive! Paul gives such context to the motivation of ministry when he declares that “the love of Christ constrains us, because we are convinced that one has died for all, therefore all have died!”
Our message is powerful enough to stop people in their tracks with the best news ever! Sin in its every disguise doesn’t have what it takes to even remotely match the attraction and total contentment and appeal of the Christ life!
The truth of our original identity revealed and redeemed in Christ, sets us totally free from every distortion in our minds about the life of our design.
We declare the intimate resolve of God and his attraction to engage with the individual in the most personal tangible way possible.
The biggest waste is to miss out on one day of fellowship with your Creator.
I am often overwhelmed with the thought of the ultimate extent of the great work of redemption and act of reconciliation that God undertook to rescue the human race. Underestimating this great salvation has always been the biggest sin of the church.
The greatest safeguard we can ever give someone against a wasted life is in our message that reveals truth in such a way that every possible excuse we could have to experience distance from God or to continue in any form of sin, guilt, fear or an inferior lifestyle is done away with. In its stead there remains only the wide open arms of Father God longing to embrace the individual and the world into unrestricted friendship.
There is enough content in the positive revelation of Christ in you to rid you of a sin consciousness and its dreadful consequence.
Our message is not to persuade people that there is no hell, but rather to convince them that Christ suffered the horror of it to liberate us from its dread both in this life and the next. To influence people into making a decision for Christ based on hell is to distract from the truth. The focus and central theme of the Gospel is the revelation of the mystery of man's inclusion in the death Jesus died and our co-resurrection and joint-position in the father's right hand. The liberating truth of the forgiveness of sins and an understanding of their innocence that leads to a tangible intimacy with the living God and spontaneous love for people. God pleads through us to bring people to realize their full inclusion in the Gospel.
Let his love in you reveal him to your neighbors and the nations. His love is unthreatened and needs no defense!
Col.4:4 This is my prayer request, that I may be able to present this message in the most effective way possible.
4:5 Do not spoil your chance to touch others with the word through a lack of wisdom. Redeem the time by making the most of every opportunity. (Time only finds its relevance in redemption-realities)
4:6 Season your conversation with the revelation of grace. This remains the most attractive and appropriate option to respond in every situation.
The object of New Testament ministry is not in the first place to get people to go to heaven one day! It is the unveiling of the most attractive life possible, the life of our design redeemed again. Now to be enjoyed in an immediate, intimate, daily, constant, conscious feedback encounter with the Living God in Spirit and in truth and undiluted friendship with our fellow man!

He overlooked the times of ignorance and now urges all men everywhere to discover his eternal thoughts about mankind, revealed in Christ, when we were judged in righteousness in one man's death, and raised in his resurrection as the trophy of justice redeemed! Acts 17:30,31. Having made purification for sins he sat down! His throne authority is established upon our redeemed innocence
The more we declare the integrity of God’s persuasion concerning us demonstrated in his son’s obedience in our favor, the less we have to prompt people to believe, their believing will be most spontaneous!
Even our faith is from him! Eph 2:8 Your salvation was a grace thing from start to finish, you had no hand in it; because it is all God's gift to you, because he believes in you. (Mirror Bible)
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God-- (RSV)
Paul preached in such a way that many believed! Acts 14:1 Yet he never asked for a show of hands to indicate their 'decision' to believe!
The more we make an issue of "Now do you believe this? Because if you don’t you’re going to hell!" the more we disguise the very message we’ve just proclaimed!

God’s work of redemption is valid with immediate effect. “The hour all creation was waiting for has come. The son of man is glorified! The single grain of wheat did not abide alone; it fell into the earth and died and bore much fruit!” John 12:23,24. Mankind died in his death and was made alive together with him and raised together with him and is now seated together with him in heavenly places. Every human life is fully and equally represented and justified in one man’s act of righteousness. 2 Cor 5:14,16; Acts 10:28. “Jesus reveals that man pre-existed in God; he defines us. He justified us and also glorified us. He redeemed our innocence and restored the glory we lost in Adam. (Rom 3:23,24; prohoritso, pre defined, like when an architect draws up a detailed plan; kaleo, to surname, identify by name) What further ground can there possibly be to condemn man? In his death he faced our judgment; in his resurrection he declares our innocence; the implications cannot be undone! He now occupies the highest seat of authority as the executive of our redemption in the throne room of God. (See verse 1, also Rom 4:25) Rom 8:30,34 Mirror Translation
Jesus is what God believes. If every human life is equally included in God’s economy of grace then man deserves to hear this Gospel more than what any man deserves to be judged.
Our influence in society, regardless of our profession, is determined by our faith and not our job-description; our faith is sourced in Christ, in his perfect work of reconciling a hostile world to himself. While we proclaim the sinful state of humanity we are not proclaiming the gospel, and life changing faith cannot come to the people! This conviction is critical, if we are serious about impacting our world with the proclamation of the Gospel
So sad that we allow the deception of a Christless "universalism" to hijack words like 'inclusion' and 'universal,'
These words powerfully and significantly describe the masterful genius of God when Jesus died humanity's death! This is the mystery that none of the rulers of this world understood, otherwise they would never have crucified the Lord of glory!
The point is that the gospel is good news for all people because the gospel reveals how fully included they are in Christ by God's doing; truth is already true before anyone believes it; a diamond doesn’t become a diamond when you discover it, obviously God hid the diamonds and treasures in the earth for man and not from man! That is why we preach with passion, urgency and persuasion in order to awaken every mans mind and instruct every man and present every man perfect in Christ Col 1:28, because the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations is now revealed
We have underestimated the Gospel of Jesus Christ for centuries, because we have adopted an interpretation that robbed us of the true impact of salvation in its relation to life in the here & now on planet earth. We have felt more comfortable with a faith that refers us to a place in heaven one day rather than to see faith as the now & relevant substance of things we always longed for & the evidence of unseen realities around us & within our grasp; the life of our design is redeemed!
Jesus didn’t die 99% or for 99%
He died humanity's death one hundred percent! If Paul had to compromise the last part of verse 14 of 2 Cor 5 , to read: "one died for all therefore only those who follow the prescriptions to qualify, have also died," then he would have had to change the first half of the verse as well!
Only the love of Christ can make a calculation of such enormous proportion!
The same all who died in his death were raised together with him! According to the only scripture in the entire OT that refers to the 3rd day resurrection, we are included! "After 2 days God will revive us, on the 3rd day he will raise us up!!" Hos 6:2 When Paul ponders this scripture (he also quotes it in 1 Cor 15:4) he makes one of his most radical discoveries in his gospel; he writes "While we were dead in our sins (before we knew or believed the gospel) God made us alive together with Christ, and raised us (mankind) together with Christ and seated us together with Christ in heavenly places! That is the point of the gospel; what happened to Christ happened to us before anyone but God believed it! We're not window-shopping here we are gazing into the mirror!
For so many years we’ve read 2 Cor 5 verse 17 out of its context! Verse 14 and 16 gives context to verse 17 Therefore the IF cannot be a condition it must be a conclusion otherwise verse 14 also becomes 'iffy'!!
The gates of hades will not prevail against the testimony of truth; the weapons of our already won warfare tears down every argument and resistance to the knowledge of God; love wins, I can see even the ‘other brother’ awakening to the festive sound!
I suppose I would still have questions if I think about all the contradictions and issues that theology presents us with; but for years now I have determined to go with what I know by revelation concerning his perfect work of redeeming his image in us: to live daily in the full benefit of that and to unveil him in every person I have the privilege to meet; that keeps one pretty busy enjoying him and sharing him!
I am addicted to the Philemon 1:6 kind of koinonia! The koinonia (communication) of our faith is ignited by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in us in Christ!
Exploring the extent of his love initiative and where it leads us truly exceeds any limitation or dimension! And we are all in it together! Wow what eternal bliss and glory we participate in!
The hubble telescope surely increases our horizon daily, only to realize again and again that we are dealing with measureless dimensions in outer space that reflect in us! That we may be filled with all the fulness of God is a thought that breaks all boundaries, we are fearfully and wonderfully made and equally fearfully and wonderfully redeemed!
The whole earth is full of his glory, "and as truly as I live", says the Lord, "all the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of my glory, even as the waters cover the sea!" Jesus said: if you believe that I am what the scriptures are all about, then you will discover that you are what I am all about and rivers of living waters will gush out of your innermost being!
The good news unveils the love of God spectacularly! The dimensions of his love exceed any concept we could possibly have of height, length, breadth or depth!
The gospel can be underestimated, but never exaggerated! The half could not be told of Solomon's wisdom and wealth and in Luke 11 Jesus says, "A greater than Solomon is here"!
Rev 5:13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, "To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!"

While we argue that all would be OK regardless, we still miss the point! The urgency to communicate this gospel is not compromised thru speculations about the future, but constrained by the revelation of how God's faith included hostile indifferent mankind in the sacrificial death of Christ, and his triumphant resurrection, when he represented the entire human race; multitudes are living in torment right now because they have never heard the truth of their redemption; what a waste to postpone redemption to life hereafter if it can happen now! How all will eventually discover what they have missed and how they will be 'judged' is none of our business anyway; it is our business to live the living epistle to be known and read by all men! And to give everyone within earshot on this planet the opportunity to hear truth that ignites life-changing faith!

Hope you enjoyed this.  Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers!

Sold Out To the Undiluted Gospel

I am a grace preacher!
  Period.
    There is no other Gospel.
      Jesus is Grace.  He is the manifestation of God (unconditional Love).

Today, in many circles, grace is almost a bad word.  Now, no one really would say grace is a bad word because everyone knows that grace is important and that we are "saved by grace".  How could anyone deny the influence of grace?  Of course grace is important, we all know that.

But...

That's the word that always seems to follow - but.  But what?  "Well, grace is important", they say, "but it has to be balanced".  Really?  Really?  Can you tell me where that is stated in Scripture.  Did Jesus ever put a limit on grace?  How about Paul?  Maybe the early church fathers?  No, grace is never told to be balanced with anything - especially law!

"Oh, but wait, that 'greasy grace' with no balance will just let people sin and take advantage of their 'freedom'".  Ever heard that before?  Ever said that before?  That statement is based in pure fear.  People are afraid of pure, undiluted, unadulterated grace.  It scares the hell out of people.  Maybe that's part of the point.

You see, the reality is this:  Grace only works when it is that scandalous!  Grace must be taken straight with no mixer.  Grace is like water:  When it is completely pure, it is refreshing, renewing and life giving, but when it is diluted, it is something of no value whatsoever.  For example, if I had a bottle of pure spring water that was 99% full and then I added 1% "poop particles" to it, guess what I have?  A bottle of 100% poop particles that you are not going to drink.  You see grace must be kept pure or it is useless, it loses it power.  Grace is not something that we mix with law or religion or duty or work or anything else.  When we do, we nueter the Gospel.

Some people will argue that we must have balance, but let's think about that for just a moment.  Is God a God of balance?  Does love have a balance in its equation?  Does not 1 Corinthians 13 look very unbalanced?

As a parent this is very clear to me.  I do not love my kids with balance - even when they do wrong!  How absurd!  To balance love is to make it conditional.  To put parameters on it is to make it sterile.  Love is neither.  I don't love my kids when they do good only.  I love my kids even in the midst of their failings and shortcomings - even in the midst of their rebellion.  Why?  Because they are my children.  My love is NEVER conditional to my children.  I love them.  Period!

We are so afraid that loving people unconditionally and allowing grace to operate without restriction will somehow produce bad behavior.  But guess what?  It does exactly the opposite.  What we dwell on is what we become.  What we think we are, we will do.  When I try to balance grace and love with conditions, then the conditions become my focus and thus my obsession and then, ultimately, my ruler.  When I focus on behavior, I will live trying to "do" the right thing.

But, if on the other hand, I focus on the unconditional love of God and His never compromised grace towards me, my focus is on Him and His goodness rather than my "doing" or efforts.  When my focus is on Him, guess what I begin to naturally act like - Him!

Writing to the Galatians Paul said this:  "Our liberty in Christ offended them; these spies had one agenda, to enslave us to their legalistic bondage! We want you to know that we are sold out to keep the Gospel undiluted for your sakes; had we compromised the message ever so slightly to accomodate their opinions, the whole Gentile world would have felt cheated! We see such a future for the pure Gospel in you" (Galatians 2:4-5 Mirror).

You see, an attack on grace; the attack on unconditional love, is nothing more than religion trying to enslave us from the freedom for which Christ has set us free.  The Gospel is undiluted!  It is pure!  It must be drunk straight!

It doesn't matter what people "label" you or that they accuse you of being one of those "grace people", don't worry about accusations, Grace is best enjoyed when it is served up alone.  Join me as one who is "sold out to keep the Gospel undiluted for your sakes".

Today, don't let anyone steal your joy by trying to enslave you to balancing grace.  Don't do it.  Not today, not ever.  Take your grace straight.  Keep your Gospel undiluted.  And watch the life of Jesus flow through your life more and more each day.

Liberty and freedom are your inheritance.
  Pure Grace provided it for you once and for all through Jesus Christ.
     Enjoy!
        And remain sold out to the undiluted Gospel!

Cheers!

Happy New Year

Well, it is that time of the year again where everyone makes resolutions.  Most of them have to do with our physical bodies like lose weight, go to a gym, eat better and others with "discipline" resolutions like read more, get into a better routine and so on.

It's funny how we make such a huge deal about these things when in reality most everyone has stopped all of them within just a few days - and we know this to be true when we make them!

It is the same in the Christian community.  We tell ourselves we are going to do so many things different, that now is the time to change.  I am going to read my Bible more, pray more, "witness" more, go to church more, and on and on it goes.  The problem with this, just like our physical resolutions, is that they will fail and we know this to be true before we even begin.  Oh, our intentions are pure and good, but we know what will happen in the end.

And then...we feel guilty.  Condemnation and guilt come telling us we can't change, we can't do it, it will never happen, we are doomed for this forever, etc., etc.

And guess what, they're right.  You are doomed to failure...every time you try to "do" it on your own.

You see, we have a major problem with "doing".  We have been programmed and drilled that we have to "do".  Everything comes by "doing", in fact, those that aren't "doing" are lazy and in effect worthless. I mean that's what we're told, whether that clear or through the messages that are sent to us from every side, including those of the community of believers.  In fact, church may be the worst place for this.

So we try to do and do and end up failing and failing and feeling guilty and condemned and the cycle continues.  Then, we build theologies and doctrines around our failure's saying that our struggle is just a part of life, it is the "process of sanctification" or the "working out of our salvation" and religion and frustration continue to thrive.  I don't know if you know this, but religion and frustration are bed buddies; they feed off of one another and you are their prey.

This new year, don't make another resolution for you to "do".  You are not a human "doing", you are a human "being".  We were not created to do, but rather to be.  Life is not a struggle to "do" right or behave properly or daily seek God.  No, on the contrary life is a joy and filled with peace and bliss.

Why?

 Because I am not living my life anymore, but rather I am allowing Jesus to live in and through me.  Paul wrote to the churches in Galatia and told them that he (and all believers like him) have (past tense) died with Christ and the new life we live is Jesus living in and through us (Gal. 2:20).  Think about about how much easier that is than trying to do it yourself.  The problem is, most people know that verse, but few really understand and practice it.  We quote it like a bumper sticker and think all is good, but the reality is most people haven't grasped what it really means.

Paul's point is this:  Your old life, your old existence of performance and doing, HAS BEEN crucified with Christ.  You no longer live, but rather, Christ lives in and through you.  How?  By faith in what Jesus has fully accomplished on the cross.  It really is that easy.  We have made life to hard by all of the doing and performance and trying to be righteous by self-effort (self-righteousness) when the reality is all I have to do is "be".  Christ is in me, possesses me, leads me and lives through me.  My only "job" in that equation is to let Him.

John wrote in His epistle that as Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17).  Not trying to be like Him, we are like Him.  See how much easier that is.

This year, quite trying to "do" anything and simply "be" - be holy, be righteous, be complete and be like Him everyday of your life.

Cheers!