If I could just do better.....

I have been studying Galatians with my men's group and chapter 4 brings out law and redemption/grace. Paul uses the allegory of Hagar and Sarah to describe the law vs redemption and a sermon from Pete Awlinson, Rich and Loving it, goes over the fact that the law and redemption can not live in the same house. Good stuff!

I have been down this road so many times. Live the way I should only to fall flat on my face. Which is where I should have been in the first place, on my face before God. Its so easy to get caught up in the routine of the day and create the check list.

It is also just as easy to not create that check list and know that I am covered by the grace and freedom of Christ.

So which is it.. try harder or live in grace?

The great thing about this whole grace and freedom through Christ thing is... well grace!

For me... I will always be like the Galatians. I will float between the grace and freedom of knowing Christ to the "occasional" visit to the legalistic side of life. The side of life where "I can do better". The side where I tend to wallow in self pity. The side where I punish myself for sins that have already been forgiven.... (not the same as conviction for ones sins... but the remembering of those in the past. (Psalm 103:12)

Are you thinking that I am using grace as a get out of jail free card, though it kind of is?

Can you think of one person who knows the true definition of grace. One who has experienced grace and yet takes advantage of it? If so.. Do you think they have experienced it in its truest form? The more we seek the Lord, our desires become His desires.... If we are seeking the Lord and praying the desires of our heart, which He has put there, how does one take advantage of grace?

Psalms 374-5 -

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass".

This is not the prayer where we ask for that new car or more money. The more we delight ourselves in the Lord... the more we are wanting what He wants for our life..... Our desires become His desires....

I can go between these 2 camps just as easily. (carnal desires vs hearts desire.. that's another entry)

Paul has already declared Romans 6:1 "What shall we say then? Shall we to continue in sin, that grace may abound? As I stated prior to the Psalms entry. I know of no one in my circle of believers that takes this verse out of context to sin a little extra. I guess that is not totally true. One does not take this verse out of context and live in sin...

Luther kind of describes the law as the bastard son Ishmael, and redemption as the promise of Isaac. I love that! (Galatians 4)

Is it that easy? I mean.. really. When I react under the law I am serving the bastard son of a bondmaid, Ishmael. But when I live under Christ righteousness I am serving the son that was promised. Hmm.. The son that was promised. Sound strangely familiar?

I wish I could live in that daily. But the fact of the matter is.

I could just do better.....