Grace lived by the Law

The world of literature has been spattered by the famous writing about success. Everybody is writing about the principles of success. Now I am sure just by looking at the book shelves in our rooms we can spot those books I am talking about. Everybody have them and actually they are really selling out there. Maybe some of you still don’t really grasp what am talking about, let me be more detailed. Probably you have seen if not read books decorated with titles like; 10 steps to a successful marriage, or 5 languages of love, 5 ways to be a successful business man, 10 steps of Raising mature kids. Have you read or rather seen such books, with steps, protocols to follow for something to happen, doing an A to attain a B? Well now I am sure you have turned to the page I was referring to.

There is nothing wrong with these writings, actually people have researched and develop facts that they work, well in some cases I must say they don’t.  Everyone is after happiness, I call it Self exaltation. We all want to feel good and want to see things happening the way we want and that’s why we have sunk deep in finding ways of making that possible. The most disappointing part of the whole effort is when things don’t work out the way we hoped they would.  What will you say if you hear words like I have been married to you for 10 years but I still feel the urge of exercising with the same sex individuals or your kid one day come to you and say, hi mum am guy.  Am sure you will shout words close to, “where did I go wrong?”

Where is the guarantee that by doing A we will for sure attain B? Who gives us that assurance that when we do things we will for sure achieve the kinds of results that we are looking for? The answer is NOBODY. It’s not promised anywhere, that all our effort will result to something good, sometime it doesn’t.  Let’s dig deeper in the Christian life. We have been encouraged with our pastors at home how things work for good of those who love the lord and have been called according to his purpose. We have been told that the only thing that awaits our lives once we are saved are good things, ‘blessings’ per say. We have been given steps to follow for a mature Christian life, and myself I have said this myself; read your bible, pray so persistently, testify and witness, then you will be a strong Christian, we have been told how to pray. Start by adoration, then confession, thanksgiving, and then petition, very practical and scriptural if you ask me. Recently I was even told about the hours of prayers for a mature Christian, not just the morning prayers we make when you still contemplating whether to get out of your fluffy blanket.

Christianity and life in general have been reduced to self. It’s all about us, what we want, what makes us happy. It’s a long issue to address but just to finally say what I have been trying to say this whole time, Christianity, marriage, life and anything you have in mind is not a bed of roses. And if it is then roses have thorns and once in a while you will feel the pain. Maybe you disagree but here is the truth, peter writes in 1 peter 4.12 that we should not be surprised when we face suffering as if it’s something strange. That means it’s not strange when a Christian suffers. Please don’t stop reading, I know I’m not writing what you want to hear, but again that’s the point, we only want to read what hide the truth from us.

Here is an eye opener, the bible says in Galatians 5.2,4 that God has nothing to do with anyone who tries to achieve blessing in life by their own efforts, actually Paul write, and I quote, “mark my words! I Paul, tell you that if you let your self be circumcised, Christ have no value to you at all” in other words Paul is saying Christ promises no help when you make it your ultimate goal to secure certain blessings by doing good things (Larry , pressures off).

There is no guarantee that life will always be what we want it to be, whether you read volumes of success books, whether you pray so hard, whether you read the whole bible 3 time in a year, God promises you no good life just because of what you do, that’s actually living according to the law something that Paul says, God has nothing to do with. Larry writes, when any ambition other than drawing near to God assumes the first place significance in our hearts, whether the ambition is blatantly self-serving or clearly kingdom advancing, we are living according to the law.

We should be careful not to reduce the biblical principles to the basic principles of the world when followed in order to gain the better life we demand, because they are meant to do only one thing in life and only one, to draw us near to God and nothing else.  The bibles rebukes, teaches, corrects but all that is meant to draw near to God and not to make life works for us.  Let’s still read these books, lets encourage one another with the biblical teachings, lets fast and pray and do all we feel is best fit for the blessing we want but after all that never  go to God and stretch you hand demanding if you your ambition for doing all that was for self-exaltation and not drawing closer to God.

Let’s wake up and journey on.