Grace isn't a way of life, it IS life!

You could go into nearly any church in America and ask their pastor to explain this wonderful word called Grace.  And nearly every pastor would explain to you that Grace is the undeserved blessing of God that is available to each of us by way of the cross.  It is transformational!  It is powerful!  It is the Gospel!  

There's no doubt that, theologically speaking, any Christian worth their salt can articulate and explain this message of Grace.  Some will even proclaim it as the only way to live.  We are no longer bound by the Law of the Old Testament.  We don't need to fear condemnation or perform rituals to appease our Lord.  Now we abide by Grace. 

I've been contemplating this whole "living by Grace" idea a lot lately.  I've been blessed with the peculiar vantage point to see many people's lives and observe what this actually looks like.  I've learned that there are really two realities that occur when people live by Grace. 

ONE: There are SO many who have the theological concept of Grace written on the walls of their mind, it's inscribed on their very hearts and they proclaim to live by it.  BUT, what I have found is that so many live a dual life.  While they understand Grace, they attempt to consolidate it and make it come under the rest of the Old Testament - which is Law. 

- Where the Law made us aware of our sins, it showed us our incompetence to do anything about it.  Where the Law failed, Grace succeeded.  The sacrifice of Christ, once and for all, paid the price for our sins and GRACE was extended where only condemnation would have sufficed.  Grace, is the sin solution! - 

But too many try to walk a bipolar line when they preach Grace but still live by the Law.  It's incredibly self-defeating.  Because if we hold ourselves under the Law, then Grace cannot free our hearts from the condemnation and judgment associated with the Law. 

To me, it's like KNOWING the right puzzle piece is across the table, but still trying to jam in the wrong fit in place.  Only frustration follows. 

There are others who actually MAKE GRACE THEIR LAW!  Can you imagine that?  Some Christians are so religious that they have to take a gift that was so lovingly given and make others, and themselves, pay for it?

The danger is when we simply understand Grace in our heads only.  Because if we are determined to live under any Law, Grace can easily become a law to our hearts.  We KNOW how Christ would want us to act, or we hyper-extend a concept of Christian perfection that is beyond Christ himself.  We hold the bar so high that even if we had angel's wings, we couldn't make it over the top.  It's possible to bind ourselves with this idea of living by Grace...

TWO: These people understand Grace.  They don't live BY it, they live IN it.  Because they truly understand that Grace is not a concept or a theological paradigm, it's the very person and nature of Jesus Christ!  Grace IS the Gospel.  The Gospel IS Jesus!

When we live IN Grace, it is life.  It is Jesus himself extending His nature through our hearts and into our world.  We are free in Grace because we rest on God's righteousness.  We do not fear the Law because we are not bound to it anymore.  Those who live by Grace do not need to be worried about living by the letter of the Law because the author and completer of the Law lives IN them.  Christ fulfilled the requirements of the Law so we no longer need to strive under the expectations that were impossible for us!

Now here's the trick - we live IN Christ and he lives IN us.  Because he is guiding our thoughts and hearts and actions and LIFE, the Law is met through Him.  That's why we don't worry about it.  The sin was dealt with on the Cross.  We died with Christ, so now we join Him  in the resurrection and grab hold of the fullness of life that is available to us NOW.  


Those who truly live IN Grace extend the same humbling power that they have experienced.  The truth is that we are made complete in Christ.  We lack nothing.  The Law has been fulfilled.  There is no longer any condemnation in Christ Jesus.  A righteousness from God is available to us. 

So Grace IS Jesus.  When we stop focusing on our failures like someone counting malfeasance's waiting punishment THEN we can rest our eyes on Jesus and his Amazing Grace that is able to transform our lives into holiness - Completeness!  Yielding the fruit of the Spirit.  It's Christ's fruit.  We just bear it.  

Just some truth.  Take it or leave it.  Leave questions and comments below.  Thanks!

Bring me BACK

Today didn't start out like most days. This morning I woke up with what I lovingly call a Frustration Hangover. I went to bed so flustered and discouraged that the rainclouds actually followed me from unconsciousness back into the waking world as the sun rose. Rarely have I EVER been so down in the dumps that my mood wasn't able to bounce back after a good night's rest.

What made last night terrible? The fact is, nothing immensely tragic or horrifying took place. No one punched me in the nose. No one stole my car. No one murdered kittens in front of me. I didn't trip and fall or embarrass myself in front of the lady-folk. It was just one single, tiny, insignificant straw that broke the proverbial camel's back... and I didn't realize there was so much piled on.

I know you're curious so here's the long and short of it - I moved to Texas 3 short months ago to undertake a new chapter in life. I'm working with the most amazing church right now but only PART TIME. Anyone who's lived more than 3 weeks in the real world knows that - unless you have rich relatives or personal hedge fund - part time work doesn't cut it in terms of survival. Money issues have been a major stressor in the past few weeks. Wait! There's more.

Couple the hours issue with the nature of my line of work. I'm a pastor, it's in my spiritual DNA to put forth  the major efforts of my mind, body and spirit to the church and commit myself to God and His people. Part-time means that I don't even have enough time in the week to make the type of connections and efforts that I would WANT to do in ministry. Meaning, I don't feel that I'm giving 100% because... well... I'm not.

Here's the crazy part. Listen, I know that God provides. He says so in his word. I've heard the testimonies of God's blessings and amazingness. I've lived it, heck, I've preached it. But even still, I found myself immensely discouraged. Especially this next part.

I believed that God gives all of us gifts to use. One of my gifts is that (for the most part) if I can see it, then I can make it happen. Meaning, I'm VERY good at arts and crafts. Pssssst, check out my pics on Facebook and instagram. 



I'd made this halo2 replica sniper rifle to sell to a person on EBay. I REALLY could've used the money right now and spent quite a bit of free time to create. BUT, got a final coat of paint on it and pulled it up to take a look... and... cracked the barrel off... Tears of pain and anguish...

That's why my night ended in complete dismay. Hard work poured down the drain and a chance for cash set back considerably. I woke up this morning in need. Not in need of money or stress relief but greatly in need of renewed faith and encouragement.

And that's exactly what I found in the family that I have at church. I received a word from my brother in Christ that reminded me of God's goodness and faithfullness. I already know God is good and remind myself of the same passages that were shared. But there's something strangely powerful about hearing of God's goodness. God also told someone to encourage me randomly today. It was just a small gesture but it meant the world to me this day. 

And so, just twenty-four hours later, my entire perception has been realigned. My attitude has been refreshed and my faith strengthened just a little bit more.