A Thought For The Week Of June 16

"For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.'" (Galatians 3:10) It's so easy to forget the idea and the meaning of grace. A checklist is a lot easier. God tells us what to do or what not to do, and we either do or don't do those things and we keep a checklist of sorts, hoping that more checks fall on the "I did what God wanted (or didn't want) me to do" rather than on the other side, and then we're saved! It's so simple - and over the years I've known a lot of Christians who seem to want to live their faith that way. Christianity becomes about following the rules. What seems to be forgotten in the mix, though, is that being a disciple of Jesus should mean following him and not simply following the rules. What does that mean? Jesus is the grace of God come to earth. Scripture tells us that. If we live by grace (by and through Jesus) then we live in freedom from the law. Law condemns; grace gives life. To live by the law requires following all the law - not just some of it or most of it, but all of it. And who among us can claim to be able to follow every rule perfectly? Grace doesn't mean that we have license to live as we please. License would imply that God doesn't care about our conduct, or for that matter about us all that much. But God does care. That's why God gives us grace. Grace is a combination of both freedom and challenge. Grace frees us from law but then challenges us to go deeper in faith, becoming more and more like the people God would have us be, without fear of condemnation or punishment for not doing it perfectly. Law condemns us; license allows us to be satisfied with things just the way they are (and just the way we are). But grace tells us that while God accepts us as we are today, God expects us to continue to move forward and deepen our relationship with Jesus as time goes by. I hope that happens for all of us this week! Make it a good week - full of God's grace!