Monday, December 20, 2010

Freedom That Brings Righteousness

For far too many years now Christians have been buying into lies. Not just lies but damned lies. "Got to have a quite time every day", "must be baptized", "got to quit (select one: eating so much, watching so much TV, smoking, drinking, pornography, getting angry)" and on and on...

The gospel, which defined is "good news" is pure and undefiled good news. Many church leaders have gotten off course and sold us a lie. Listen to the Word of God!

Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.

But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
"BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN,
AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.
"BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT."
Romans 5:4-8

The cart before the horse teaching of trying to be "good enough" to be a "good Christian" has dampened that lives and the witness of Christians for too many years now!

Accept, if you have accepted Jesus as your personal savior, that you are seen as holy by our God! If you will surrender your "works" and pick up His gift, your life will respond with overwhelming joy. Once the joy moves in, the desires for the aberrant things that were so very attractive to us disappear.

The more we try to defeat the wrong desires the more they will create deeper longing for those desires. We can not slay the evil that is within us it is only the indwelling Holy Spirit that can override our desires. We must quit quenching the Holy Spirit's fruitfulness in our lives by our "works" mentality. Your commitment to be more holy has gotten you what?

Surrender to grace! There is no other way!


2 comments:

Unknown said...

Jim, thank you for posting your blogs faithfully every week. They are making a big difference in my life. Today's thoughts I am starting to understand in my life. I know that trying harder gets me nowwhere, but surrendering and trusting Christ to change me from the inside is true freedom for me. Surrendering to Him has given me a new heart, knowing that I am a sinner and fall short everyday. Thank you for reminding us the importance of our relationship with Christ, knowing we can't earn grace. I have been praying that Christ will create me into the man he has designed me to be, which is way beyond my imagination! Take care, Merry Christmas!
Mike

Real Life said...

Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comments, Mike. We all tend to judge ourselves far too harshly sometimes. Stop to take a look back to where you have come from and you will see the majesty of God's work within you. Are we done yet? Of course, no. But we are well on the way. By faith we see the unseen and know the unknowable!

Merry Christmas to you and your wonderful family as well.

Jim