Balancing Act

Lesson 30: Grace and Obedience are a balancing act.

I have been hurting and struggling the past few days.  I feel so weird starting this post out like this, but it's true and it's the reason I've learned this lesson.  I feel like I've known it, but it was explained so clearly to me yesterday that I felt the need to share.

Yesterday, I approached my youth pastor about the current events that have been happening in my life.  After a lot of discussion and insight, he said to me (paraphrased), "The Christian walk is a balancing act of grace and obedience."

He went on to explain that often times in our Christian walk we will focus so much on one and ignore the other.  For example, a Christian who focuses to much on grace and not on obedience might think, "I think God is calling me to do this thing, but if I don't do it it's okay because He loves me!" or something along those lines.  Then there's the Christian who focuses too much on obedience and might say, "I have to do this thing to please God or I won't receive His blessings, love, and forgiveness".

Both are clearly wrong ways of thinking of our walk with God.  The obedience side takes verses from the Bible and over inflates them, which is what the Pharisees did and Jesus clearly opposed them (Matthew 23:23).  On the other hand, Jesus also opposes those whose hearts are not willing to obey and do what He commands (Example in Matthew 7:24-27).

This thing we call life, I believe, is just one big balancing act of obeying but also not forgetting grace and love.  Jesus never says that we have to do things to earn His love, and forgiveness (except confess and repent of course).  But nowhere does He say that we have to earn it.  Frankly, we can't earn His love.  If we tried to earn our way to heaven, Christianity would be pointless since our acts are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), and all have fallen short and no one is declared righteous through the law (Romans 3:20-24)

I know that have definitely been more on the Grace spectrum of this balancing beam.  God taught me two years ago to obey in the big things and since then I have listened and obeyed very well for all the "big things" He has asked of me.  However, I've come to realized that I have lacked in the little, everyday obediences (read my Bible, pray continually, etc.).  I think God is much more pleased by obeying Him in the everyday things then He is with just the big things in life because if we can obey Him in those things, I would think there would be less "big things" to obey in the first place (if that makes any sense?).

God's not done with me and He's still teaching me things.  He has shown me so much in just the past few days.  He has comforted me and shown me that I have things I need to work on but I am His child and He loves me and has saved me from my sins.  I'll never have to try and earn my way into heaven by doing x, y, and z.  He finished that by dying on the Cross!  I don't think I have ever felt so loved and supported by God and my friends and I'm so grateful.  Thank you Abba for everything.

With Lots of Love,

~Alyssa