We all know that there are certain things that, as Followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot and should not do. We grow up in church hearing, “Don’t do that! It’s bad! Jesus wouldn’t want you to do that. What would Jesus do?” More times than not, as a child, I was left feeling helpless and angry at myself and others knowing that I would still fail. I was a bad Christian.
We carry around a self-conscience guilt stemming from a belief that we are failing God when we fall. We think that God is disappointed, frustrated, or angry with us when we screw up. I’m beginning to understand that God is much bigger than our feeble attempts at righteousness (Romans 9:16). Remember, He knows us better than we know ourselves; He is not surprised when we choose sin. He understands the depth of our depravity; He is not frustrated with our lack of faithfulness (Romans 3:3). When that is understood, it can be tempting to approach life with reckless disregard for “doing what is good” (Titus 2:14). I challenge that whomever thinks that way does not understand the saving Work of Jesus.
There are many verses in Scripture that encourage and command us to live our lives distinct from the ways of those around us. We are told that we are the “light of the world.” We know that we need to be “good” people. But that collides with what we are taught in Sunday school. We are told over and over and over that we are sinful people. A mindset of uselessness and unworth is hammered into our minds to make us understand what Jesus did for us. But He died and rose from the dead so that we would not have to be constantly reminded of our short comings. He set us free! That should motivate us to live differently. Our motivation to live rightly should not stem from guilt or regret. Our constant desire to do good should be the result of overwhelming thankfulness to God for what He did for us. That is what I want to think about this Thanksgiving.
Have a great holiday!!
