true grit v. amazing grace

True Grit vs Amazing Grace

The gospel blog this week is taken form a blog that was written by my first cousin's son named David Crab.  You won't believe how powerful David speaks of the gospel that we should be preaching to ourselves everyday!  Sit back and marinate as you read.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. ~Titus 2:11-12

For many years I functionally operated under the unhappy assumption that while God had miraculously and gloriously saved me by an utter act of His grace; that I was basically on my own in my spiritual growth. I had not grasped the truth of Titus 2: Christians are recipients of both saving grace and training grace. This grace teaches us to say no to sin and yes to godliness. The word used in verse 12 is pedagogue which is where we get our word pedagogy (“teaching”). In other words, grace is our tutor for the Christian life.

Now this is opposite of what we might think. We are probably inclined to think that it is not God’s grace, but his law that disciplines us. Despite the fact that we know our salvation is all of grace, it is easy for us to slip into a performance mindset that believes that God’s acceptance of me depends on my own performance. So for instance, we have the impression that God smiles or frowns on us depending on whether we have our quiet time or performed some other spiritual disciplines. This can lead to doing good things so that “nothing bad will happen to me” or so that “God will be happy with me.” But Paul makes it clear that it is God’s grace–his unmerited favor–that trains us. In all of our duty in the Christian life we must remember the overarching truth that God is dealing with us in grace.

This means that our spiritual growth does not ultimately depend on us. Of course this does not mean that we are not responsible to respond to God’s spiritual training in our lives, but it does mean that God is the one in charge of that training. He is your shepherd. He may lead some beside still waters and he may lead some through the valley of the shadow of death. But in every case, you need not fear, for he is with you. He is your shepherd and knows of what you have need.

If you’re like me, it’s easy to begin to look at the Bible as merely a big rule book–something that tells you what to do and what not to do, and expects you to perfectly meet all of God’s requirements. This is simply the law of God. It gives you no ability to obey and it only condemns you when you fail, so it can leave you feeling helpless, guilty, and utterly discouraged. As you try to live your Christian life by sheer grit and determination to do  right and please God, you bump up against an unflinching reality–the more you try, the more you fail.

But the good news of the gospel is that the grace of God actually enables us to live holy lives. As we allow the reality of what it means to be united to Christ and accepted in him to sink deep into our hearts, it gives us confidence and hope in our struggle with sin. When we get a good view of ourselves and our sinfulness and a magnificent, glorious view of the immeasurable grace of God–we can do nothing but respond in grateful joy that issues in a life of obedience. Obedience then becomes not a matter of grudging, guilty duty; but one of delight.

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, understood this. He wrote this about the difference between law and grace:

Run, John, run. The law commands

But gives me neither feet nor hands.

But better news the Gospel brings;

It bids me fly and gives me wings.

As believers clothed in the righteousness of Christ, we do not have just a bare command to do right, but we now have the enabling grace to obey the command!  We need not labor under the crushing burden of sin for the rest of our Christian lives. In Christ we are free. Grace gives us wings to fly. May we learn to trust the loving heart of our shepherd as he leads us in paths of righteousness.

Journal Time:

1.  What does life look like this week as you seek to "run" based on the Law alone without grace?

2.  As the gospel gives you wings and allows you to fly how might these situations play out differently in your heart and soul?

3.  Dress yourself this day in His righteousness through the sweet repentance prayer of how you might not be believing.

watch and pray, "God, give me wings today..."

doxology in the darkness

“To be grateful for an unanswered prayer, to give thanks in a state of interior desolation, to trust in the love of God in the face of marvels, cruel circumstances, obscenities, and commonplaces of life is to whisper a doxology in the darkness.”     Brennan Manning, 

doxology:  an expression of praise to God.


As I talked with at least two of you this past week the cry was, "I don't feel God's nearness when I am spending time alone with Him."  I know many of us would echo that we don't feel His nearness when struggles come sweeping in.  Here are some thoughts from Ken Boa, an amazingly gifted theologian of our day.  (http://www.kenboa.org/)


“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose – and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin."  William Temple


Our only true security is in the unchanging character and promises of the Lord.


What is the answer to feeling God's nearness and being confident that you are not alone? God inhabits the praise of His people.

"We honor God most when His glory becomes our greatest pleasure; we worship God best when we pursue our joy in Him above all."  Piper


Worship comes from the word "worth".   God created all of us to worship. We are all worshiping something. What are you worshiping today?  Is He worthy in your heart?

The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117.  It is solely worship.  Worship is simple...praising Him for who He is and what He has done and is doing.  Interestingly, this is the very middle chapter of the entire Bible.  Coincidence?  

Psalm 117

Praise the LORD, all nations!

Extol him, all peoples!

 For great is his steadfast love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.

Praise the LORD!

"Only you, Jesus, are worthy of our adoration, affection, attention, and allegiance—only You! You are the Yes to every promise God has made and the point of every prophecy spoken. I am so thankful you are coming back to finish making all things new; but I am equally thankful you are currently in control of all kings and crises, microbes and moments. So very Amen I pray, in your most glorious and gracious name." (Smith)

2 Cor. 1:20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. 

That is why it is through him that we utter 

our Amen to God for his glory.

  "Ask God for the grace to make you a worshipper - one who is amazed by His steadfast love and astonished by His faithfulness.  Nourish you heart on high thoughts of God through devotional reading of the Scriptures, and worship Him in Spirit and truth."

Watch the 2 videos below and worship.

-You know what to do in your journal this week....

praise Him over and over....He will draw near.

-In your journal write the above quote by William Temple in first person as a prayer to the Father.

This is not where I belong....

Life....ahhh.....what daily struggles we face.  Remember Eden? Yes, you do, every time a voice whispers from within you, "I was not made for this."  Grateful to two different GFFs (gospel friends forever) for contributing to our gospel blog today.  I think we all hear our own voices as we read the heartfelt expressions below.  Thankful this morning for the gospel community that we share.

"What has brought me here has seemed so unfair

Not a life i recognize from my dreams

So much pain i have to bear

Alone or so it seems

Where is your face oh Lord? Don't hide from me!

With my heart its You i long to see

When the waves began to crash violent and loud

And the rushing waters roars

My heart lay prostrate on the ground

Trampled and  crushed-hoping no more

I clung and grappled-fingers curled tight

But one by one they loosed under tension

Total darkness-there was  no light

An eternity passed or so it seemed

Before He finally called my name

Gentle and quiet like water flowing in a stream

Then powerful and strong His voice became

It took but a moment for my heart to revive

Understanding was not mine but faith made me alive

Listen  now to the silence for the storm has passed

Only now can i have pure peace

It is only those who in conflict lose their grasp

That the Lord can teach

Though You shield me not from pain

I find freedom through my sorrow

This tempest is an honor only You can bestow"      

                       ~Brooks

"When God spoke His invention into existence, His good character was the order of the day. His love flowed unhindered, perfectly filling human hearts. Out of that overflow, Adam and Eve loved each other unashamedly. They were tenderly loved, perfectly beautiful, and wholly themselves. This is the world that we were made for.

When we hurt, it doesn’t just feel unpleasant or uncomfortable. It feels . . . wrong. It’s a soul misfit. And it is wrong. That’s because relationships are supposed to be safe. Life and health should last forever. Disease is a corruption, death an injustice, sin a perversion. Grief is an aberration. Our hearts were built for Eden.

Right now, your pain goes deep. The ache is real. But it is not permanent. No, it is not permanent. Because one day, your Father will close this chapter of human history. Forever. Child of the King, no matter how deeply you are hurting, your tears are numbered. Because one day you will be home."  

                        ~Laurin

For your journal...

Read the passages below and reflect...

Psalm 62:5-8

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 

On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God. 

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us. 

1.  What am I waiting for?  If only __________________ this would happen then my life would be better.

2.  Where do I not feel safe?

3.  What am I hoping for?

~Pray the Psalm aloud as a prayer to God.  Write your prayer out in your journal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

As we have learned, we will not experience a pain free life until eternity...all for His glory while we are here on earth.  Here's one of my favorite songs right now in light of this.

Gospel Tune Up

I wake up day after day, forging those idols, carving, molding, shinning them.  I work diligently to make these things come through for me.  Life quickly and subtly becomes about me.  Although we have answered questions similar to this before, when I stumbled upon this article it was powerful for me in digging up some new "junk" deep inside.  God is loving and gracious and continues to remind me that He only exposes my unbelief to help me find true fulfillment and richness in Him.  Be encouraged.

"Preaching the gospel to ourselves and to others is an art all of us must grow in if we seek real, lasting change in our lives. It is often assumed that the gospel is only for those who have not yet trusted Christ. This is a faulty view of the gospel and limits its work to a personal salvation experience rather than the explosive power and catalytic dynamic for renewal in our hearts on a continuous basis.

To sum up, the life of the Christian is one of continual repentance and belief, without which we slip into a boss/employee, earn/wage, work/rights relationship with our God.

It then becomes the loving responsibility for each of us to run gospel diagnostics to determine whether or not what motivates our heart and lives is “in step” with the gospel (Gal. 2:14).

Here are twenty gospel questions to ask ourselves:

(1) What is my greatest nightmare? What do I worry about most?

(2) What, if I failed or lost it, would cause me to feel that I did not even want to live? What keeps me going?


(3) What do I rely on to comfort myself when things go bad or get difficult?

(4) What do I think about most easily? Where does my mind go to when I am free? What pre-occupies me?

(5) What prayer, unanswered, would make me seriously think about turning away from God?

(6) What makes me feel the most self-worth? What am I the proudest of?

(
7) What do I really want and expect out of life? What would really make me happy?

(8) What position of authority do I desire to give me a sense of power?

(
9) Whose opinion of me do I hold so dear that if lost I would be undone?

(10) What type of financial loss or gain would change my sense of security?

(11) What one criticism would cause me to respond in anger (wife, children, work, ministry, family, friends, etc.)? What am I most touchy about when brought to my attention?

(12) If I had ______________, then I’d be truly happy and feel as if my life has meaning and value.

(
13) If I lost ______________, I would be undone.


(14) I’m impatient because I’m ____________.

(15) I’m critical because I’m _____________.

(16) I’m angry because I’m _____________.


(17) I’m unhappy because I’m ____________.

(18) I’m in despair because I’m ____________.

(19) I have hope because I’m ___________.

(20) I feel worthy because I’m ___________.

These are only a few questions to help us be truthful with ourselves about the gospel. There is no benefit answering these questions with the “right” answers at the expense of the “true” answers (how we really feel and think).

It is only when the “true” answers come to light that the “right” answers will have any power.

We must spend time excavating our idols by asking these questions. When we sin, we do so because some idol has promised us power, prestige, influence, joy, peace, satisfaction, security, pleasure, etc. – that is far more attractive than Christ at the moment. We don’t sin with a gun held to our heads. We sin willingly because it is overwhelmingly appealing.

We need to discover why sins are so appealing by asking these questions and then remind ourselves that idols:

• are weak 
- can’t deliver when you succeed
• can only raise the bar
• 
can’t forgive when you fail
• will only condemn you
• are harmful to you and to others
• hurt you spiritually, emotionally, and physically
• 
hurt others by undermining your ability to love
• 
are grievous to God

By pursuing this idol you are saying to God, “Jesus is not enough. I also need ______ to be happy.”

Our daily struggle is to realign ourselves with the truth of the gospel, to discover new ways to surrender our trust to Christ and grow."  David Fairchild (Mars Hill Church, Seattle)