Law or Grace?

 

Law or Grace?

By Andrea Merrell

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one

is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.

James 2:10 NLT

“We are no longer living under the Old Testament law but under grace,” the man said, yet his actions did not line up with his words. His attempts to keep parts of the law kept setting him up for failure. He became a slave to the law, afraid to make a mistake.

Someone once compared the law to an x-ray machine and a mirror that can show you what lies deep inside or what you need to do on the outside, but they can’t do it for you. They can’t fix things or solve your problems. In fact, the only thing the law will do for you is bring on discouragement and condemnation because when we live under the law and mess up on one little part, we are, according to James, guilty of it all.

The good news for us is found in Romans 8:3 (NLT):

The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. (NLT)

That’s grace! Jesus fulfilled and satisfied all the requirements of the law through His sacrifice. As born-again believers who live under the dispensation of grace, we are free to follow the Spirit of God rather than the letter of the law—a bunch of unrealistic and unattainable rules and regulations.

Paul goes on in Romans to say

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. (8:15-17)

Abba Father, thank you for setting us free from the law of sin and death and adopting us as your children. Thank you for your grace as we follow after your Spirit. Amen!

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash

A Matter of the Heart

 By Andrea Merrell

If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

1 John 3:21 NKJV

 

“You don’t have to worry about other people putting you down; you’re too busy doing it to yourself.”

I heard those words eons ago, but they have stayed with me. So many years of my life were wasted, beating myself up because of the least little thing. Constantly trying to be perfect so I could measure up. Every time I failed, I fell deeper into despair and further from God. I lived in a perpetual state of guilt, shame, and condemnation, uncomfortable in my own skin.

When we allow others, the Enemy, and even ourselves to convince us we’re not and never will be good enough—and we’ll never do things the right way—we end up in a prison of our own making, wondering why God won’t bail us out. We want Him to help us, but we’re too ashamed to ask.

It all comes down to a matter of the heart. “If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God” (1 John 3:21 NKJV). The Passion translation explains it like this:

Whenever our hearts make us feel guilty and remind us of our failures, we know that God is much greater and more merciful than our conscience, and He knows everything there is to know about us … When our hearts don’t condemn us, we have a bold freedom to speak face-to-face with God. And whatever we ask of Him we receive because we keep His commands. And by our beautiful intentions we continue to do what brings pleasure to Him. (vs. 20-22)

The Bible is clear; we no longer have to live under that black cloud of condemnation. Jesus has freed us once and for all from that self-imposed prison. And absolutely nothing can separate us from His love, mercy, and grace.

If that black cloud is following you, run to the Lord, not away from Him. Accept His forgiveness and walk in the freedom He purchased just for you.

It’s not difficult. It’s a matter of the heart.

Photo courtesy of FreeDititalPhotos.net and sumetho. 

Get Rid of the Rocks

 

By Andrea Merrell

It is impossible that no offenses should come.

Luke 17:1 NKJV

There it was. Again. The truth hit me like a bullet aimed straight at my heart.

I thought I had dealt with a certain situation, but when the offending party’s name came up, all those old, resentful feelings resurfaced.

God’s conviction and correction came as no surprise because my pastor had been teaching on the subject. He explained that we will all have the opportunity to be offended. More often than not, we will have many opportunities. He also said that when we pick up an offense, it’s like picking up a handful of rocks and carrying them around.

Jesus said that in order to be His disciple, we must pick up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34). When we pick up our cross, it simply means we are following Jesus’ example. And as my pastor said, we can’t carry our cross and rocks at the same time.

Offense leads to anger. Anger leads to resentment. And resentment leads to bitterness. When a root of bitterness takes hold, it’s like a deadly poison that corrupts everything it touches.

We cannot keep offenses from coming our way, but we can choose whether to take them on or not. Let’s get rid of the rocks so we can joyfully carry the cross of Christ.

 

Photo by Oliver Paaske on Unsplash

Are You Reactive or Proactive?

By Andrea Merrell

How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.

Ephesians 3:18 NIV

“I’m having a really hard time with my son,” the woman told her counselor. “He can be such a good boy at times, but when he’s acting out, I have a hard time loving him.”

I can relate to her story. When I was growing up, my grandfather was kind and gentle with me as long as my behavior was perfect—at least in his eyes. When my words and actions failed to line up with his expectations, he became harsh and critical. I always felt I had to earn my way back into his good graces—and his love.

Not so with our heavenly father. He loves us with a love that far surpasses our human comprehension. There are no conditions and nothing that can make Him love us less or more. His agape love is perfect and eternal. Nothing can diminish it or take it from us.

Is it possible for us to love others the same way? The Word for You Today says:

It’s easy to love others when they are at their best. But when they are at their worst? Not so much. But that’s the test of true love. Our love tends to be reactive, but God’s love is proactive. He loves us when we least expect it and least deserve it.

One of my former pastors used to say, “Love acts, it does not react.” That means we have a choice every single moment of every single day to act (respond) to others in the way we should instead of reacting out of pride, selfishness, anger, or frustration. That’s being proactive.

Paul tells us in Romans that “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (5:5 NIV). In other words, we have an abundant supply of God's love to give away.

Are you walking in love?

                            

 Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com and Kelly Sikkema.

Debt Free!

 

By Andrea Merrell

It is finished! John 19:30 NKJV

Early in my marriage when we were barely living paycheck to paycheck, we purchased a needed piece of furniture and struggled to make payments, longing for the day we made the final installment.

A few months later when the bill came in the mail, it was marked paid in full. Zero balance. We called customer service to find out if it was a glitch in their system, and they assured us it was not. We never found out what happened, but someone evidently paid off our debt—an amazing blessing.

Everyone longs to be debt free. Unfortunately, in today’s economy with the higher-than-ever cost of living, few can accomplish such a lofty goal.

But for the believer, the follower of Christ, there is one debt that has been paid in full. Once and for all. No struggling. No waiting for the final installment. Jesus’ death on the cross of Calvary was the final installment, full payment for our sin, paid for with His very own blood—the ultimate sacrifice.

Not only has our debt of sin been transferred to Christ’s account, He has, in exchange, transferred His very own righteousness to our account. He considers that an even exchange. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21(NLT):

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation … For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Stand tall in your righteousness, my friend. You are totally debt free.

Jesus said: It. Is. Finished.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash