Had a lot to think about today, and came back to the single reason I'm grateful to be where I'm at in my life: because I've had the opportunities to realize God isn't stagnant, or out of date, or locked up in a legalistic box, or on "sin patrol" hiding around the corner hoping to holler "Gotcha!" next time we fail. I'm also grateful because I've learned in the past two years that God doesn't love me more if I wear a coat and tie to church, or sing louder than the choir, or pray aloud in restaurants with a heavy dosing of "thee's" and "thou's."
Following Christ isn't a matter of acting self-righteous by making up rules or rituals, nor is it about statues or steeples or stained glass windows. It's about being a first-hand witness to seeing your life rocked on its axis and discovering that God really is in control. The first time I heard Perry say, "Christianity isn't a religion; it's about having a relationship with the living God" I felt I'd been speared between the eyes with the point I'd somehow kept missing.
I understand now that no matter what happens I am never alone, that my eternity is secure, and no good deeds, or acts of self-righteousness or false holiness, can ever make me "more saved" ... because the debt's already been paid in full. Not because I earned or deserved it, but because God loved me in ways that are impossible to comprehend.
And I understand that God won't let a life that's devoted to following Christ ever be described as, "Okay, I guess."
"I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me." -John 15:16
That the Creator of the universe would call me "friend" is incredible. Re-reading that passage still staggers me ... and I think best of all, Jesus's words describe a relationship that's worth staying excited about.
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