Conclusion:
Messing up is not always a sin. We make mistakes. God gives grace, we move on by staring into His face. Haha, sounds simple, but this is something that is hard for me. Now, this is not giving permission to go and sin, but rather not to live in fear. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.� 1 John 4:18 Try it, this living freely, and God is there leading us and sometimes He lets us decide what move to make next. It may look a little goofy, not fit, or just seem to not work, but that is when we can experience more of God’s grace, and relish in His freedom and not be bound by the “rules� and boundaries we have made for ourselves. “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.� Romans 8:15
I think that is one of the main reasons why so many people turn from God or avoid Christianity altogether. All they see is Christians saying they have to follow all these rules and then they see those same Christians breaking them, but of course, because no one is perfect. But Jesus did not come to condemn the world for their mess ups and sins; He came to SAVE the world! “For if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.� Galatians 2:21. He came to bring freedom, and to free us from the law that we cannot perfectly follow. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.� Galatians 5:1.
In Matthew 23 Jesus is talking to the Pharisees, religious leaders, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean.� It is not about saying the perfect thing or doing everything exactly right so that others see us and glorify our name, because this is impossible. It is letting God do the impossible through us. Letting Him take the lead, and shining that love He has for us through to others. Because He loves us, He gives us choices. He doesn’t dictate our lives, if so we would be robots. He finds joy in letting us decide. Yes, there are commands God gives us, but only because He loves us. Like a parent having a rule not to touch the hot stove, or to look both ways before crossing the street. These rules are not to take the fun out of life but to protect us from harm or false satisfaction.
If we can grasp a little of the abundant love He has for us and truly let it soak in, we will want to abide by the commands, not because we “have to� but because we want to. This takes time and it is not an overnight thing. But boy let me just tell you, you will get bits of freedom you never even knew existed. I still have a long way to go to truly live in His freedom, but the journey is worth it.
I made the decision about a week or so ago. God gave me peace. I still question it at times but for now I am running with it!
God, I open my hands to your grace and love. Pour it down on us!
