{"id":3052,"date":"2015-09-27T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2015-09-27T14:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3052"},"modified":"2015-08-10T18:40:45","modified_gmt":"2015-08-10T23:40:45","slug":"choose-to-live-by-grace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=3052","title":{"rendered":"Choose to Live by Grace"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Year of Choices…<\/em><\/p>\n

By Barbara Dahlgren from Barbara\u2019s Banter at\u00a0www.barbdahlgren.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"LiveWe can\u2019t come to Christ apart from God\u2019s grace, because we can\u2019t save ourselves.\u00a0 If we could, we would not need a Savior.\u00a0 The gospel of Christ is all about grace.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the deal:\u00a0 We are saved by grace. (Ephesians 2:5-7)\u00a0 This grace is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8)\u00a0 Forgiveness, redemption, and salvation come from this grace. (Ephesians 1:7)\u00a0 Jesus is full of grace and has given his grace to us. \u00a0(John 1:14-16)\u00a0 While we were sinners Christ extended this gift to us by dying for our sins. (Romans 5:6-8)\u00a0 Therefore, it is definitely something we did not earn or deserve.<\/p>\n

God loves us!\u00a0 In fact, there is nothing we can do to make him love us more and there is nothing we can do that would make him love us less.\u00a0 God\u2019s grace is with us on our good days and on our bad days.\u00a0 One would think this concept would be liberating, but for centuries it has seemed to confuse Christians.<\/p>\n

Most early Christians came out of a Jewish background, strongly rooted in works and traditions.\u00a0 They were familiar with the Law of Moses, but grace posed a problem.\u00a0 They were used to trying to earn a place in God\u2019s kingdom by offering sacrifices, eating certain foods, and keeping certain rituals.\u00a0 And they were intent on having Gentile converts adhere to these Jewish traditions, too.<\/p>\n

Paul warned the early church against abandoning grace for legalistic doctrines. (Galatians 1:5)\u00a0 Paul encouraged living by grace rather than by works.\u00a0 He exhorted all believers to seek to know Christ through a personal relationship with him.<\/p>\n

Legalism has a certain appeal because we get all the credit.\u00a0 We keep the law.\u00a0 We do it.\u00a0 With grace God gets all the credit.\u00a0 He forgives; He pardons; He extends His hand to us; He gives us salvation.\u00a0 We don\u2019t earn it; He freely gives it.<\/p>\n

Our relationship with God should be based on love not works.\u00a0 Even the Old Covenant Ten Commandments weren\u2019t based on love.\u00a0 We can honor our parents without loving them.\u00a0 Not coveting our neighbor\u2019s stuff is not the same as loving our neighbor.\u00a0 Not having graven images or other gods before God is not the same as loving Him.\u00a0 The New Covenant is about loving God and our neighbors.<\/p>\n

The same law versus grace struggle exists today.\u00a0 People are still trying to earn their way into heaven.\u00a0 They strive to stay close to God by performing certain religious deeds or rituals.\u00a0 Such practices are not necessarily wrong, but even David understood that God didn\u2019t want sacrifices and offerings as much as a heart for Him. (Psalms 51:15-17)<\/p>\n

Humans have a tendency to go to extremes.\u00a0 In the matter of grace they either want to have a list of dos and don\u2019ts \u2013 still trying to earn salvation \u2013 or they think since salvation is guaranteed through grace, what they do doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n

\"God's<\/a><\/p>\n

Does the fact that God has extended us grace and forgiven our sins mean he no longer cares about what we do?\u00a0 No it doesn\u2019t!\u00a0 Romans 6:1-2 makes that abundantly clear.\u00a0 God did not call us to live an unholy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:7) \u00a0So living in grace doesn\u2019t mean we just do what we want.\u00a0 This grace should bring forth good fruit in our lives through the relationship we build with God. (Colossians 1:5-6)<\/p>\n

However, God does not want to guilt us into a relationship with Him.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t want us to worship, pray, study, and meditate because we feel guilty.\u00a0 He wants us to do it because we love him and appreciate His gift of grace.<\/p>\n

Consider this\u2026 God\u2019s grace is always with us.\u00a0 Romans 5:1-2 tells us we stand in God\u2019s grace.\u00a0 In other words, it is with us in our daily walk with him.\u00a0 Living by grace means to be totally dependent on God. \u00a0God\u2019s grace is our sufficiency. (2 Corinthians 3:5-6)<\/p>\n

The law could not save us (works), so Jesus did what the law could not do. \u00a0(Romans 8:1-6)<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t afford to let legalistic practices become our life.\u00a0 Jesus must be our life\u2026 and our breath.\u00a0 Grace is not something we do.\u00a0 It is something only God can do for us.<\/p>\n

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Suggestions for practicing this choice\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n