Woke up and was able to have a great quiet time with God. With young kids, it is a hit and miss...daily consistency is something I am still working on! We are using this book for my church's ladies Bible study and it is so wonderful.
This study will help you to understand what grace is all about. To be honest...at first, when they revealed the book we would be studying, I was kind of disappointed. (I kept it to myself of course!!!) I have always felt very secure in the knowledge that God is good and loves me. I totally get His Sovereign grace, and was hoping for another topic. But...God is amazing, and He knows what I need, and is able to teach me new things every day!!! The first lesson was on God's laws. The second...my quiet time reading today, was on hedging.(mans traditions are a hedge around God's laws)
Romans 7:12
The law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.
But some people have abused the law, and have made it the means to salvation. They built hedges around the law to protect it, and created more laws so that the original laws wouldn't be touched! Then more laws, and more...and they became the traditions of man. People lost the true reason for the law, to lead us to our need of the Savior. Instead the focus became keeping the law, the traditions of men.
Quotes from the Bible study book Ch.1-2:
"God's standard is perfection, and there's no getting around that! But, praise the Lord, we are not the ones who have to BE perfect. We are being MADE perfect!"
John 17:23, Philippians 3:12, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Hebrews 10:14
"There was the law, the God's commandments from scripture-and then there were the traditions- a way of life handed down for generations. One pointed the way to righteous living. The other insured the appearance of righteousness."
Wow....the appearance of righteousness. That struck a chord in me...a bad one!
God has been showing me how I have been too eager to appear like I am holy and righteous. Keeping the traditions of man, because I want to make sure I LOOK like I have it all together. I have been realizing that this most of the time my focus is on looking like I am righteous, instead of seeking the Savior-the only one who makes me righteous!
As a homeschooler, stay at home mom, who loves to follow blogs...it is really easy to get caught up in all the traditions out there. Different ways to follow God. Families that APPEAR to have it all together and are righteous, and it makes me feel guilty, and I want to add what they do to my life. Why? Mostly because I also want to APPEAR righteous. The more I try to add on, the more I fail at following these new traditions, the more guilt I feel. The more defeated I feel. But how often am I truly just seeking God? Every family, every individual will be different. Our callings will be different, our purposes on this earth will be different! I have to learn to let go of what people are doing, and what I look like I am doing. I need to run to Him and seek Him alone, and as I follow Him, my life will unfold to what He has in store for my family. It will not be following man made laws or traditions.
So, I thought I had a handle on His grace, and it turns out: I struggle with living in the law and not his grace! hmm...wow!
Yesterday when I was looking for Francis Chan's Crazy Love Ch. 3 resources...I found this...and I love how he sums it up! I will wear my jeans to church Sunday, and I don't care what it looks like to others! I am not under the law, I am under His grace!
3 comments:
I believe that man has placed restraints and expectations in worship, but I do believe that our corporate meeting on sundays to gather and worship the most high God should exact some effort from his servants that gives to him special honor, setting apart the day, the heart , the mind, to go up to meet him in his house. I choose to give him my best that day by putting more effort in my appearance , not for man but for my savior. I am entering into his presence. Now if my heart is not right I am but an empty seplechur. But I choose to offer my best on this called out day. set aside for me to enter his house. If someone comes in not dressed as i <I do not look down on him. I am there to worship my God, and focus on him. If i go in my pyjamas I can still worship, in spirit and truth. But I want to offer him my best that i can that day. Of the gifts he has given me. As you grew I had hoped to instill that Christ was all and all and that it was in him alone that we were saved. not of ourselves. That his grace covers us . But at that same time I dont feel that I am under the law or the restraint of man to wear or act a certain way. I choose to honor god by giving him my best . mom
Yeah, I love Francis Chan, but I also kind've agree with mom in a way. There are lots of people who wear jeans at our church, and then some that dress up. I think it is crazy to put laws on people that aren't there in the bible. We just studied this in Acts 15, the gentiles were being pressured to be circumcised and Peter Paul and Barnabus were telling them they were under grace. Here is where I agree a little with mom: I want to try a little harder on Sundays. Not to impress others but just to show God that I am coming with my best for him. James doesn't say wear plain clothes so people don't stumble, he says if a man with rich clothes comes in don't show him partiality over the poor man. You are who you are, if you like dresses wear dresses, if you like pants wear pants. There have been some conversations from people in our church who think that people won't feel comfortable if they see us wearing nice clothes, yet M-F they dress up for work, but yet refuse to dress up for church, I think that is being untrue it's like putting on a shabby chic for the sake of the gospel. People need to see the real you. Now the only old testament thing I can see that could maybe dispute things, is when the priests were going into the most holy of holies they had to put on the finest linens, wash themselves and be clean, because they were coming into the prescence of God.
Whew this is long, but if you feel uncomfortable in dresses, don't wear them if it isn't you, you are under grace, but if it is you and you are doing it because of Mom's reasons then that is grace too. Just my thoughts...
Well said. It took me a long time and a couple books, Yancey's "Grace" book, the Elderege's and some Beth Moore to understand and live that way. I still need help every day by laying it all at His feet. Thanks Lisa
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