Many things circulated today do nothing to establish us in the gospel of grace through Jesus Christ. It is more inclined to further trap us in an attitude of condemnation as we read or listen and discover that we fail to measure up even more than we thought, and we have not been told clearly what to do about it other than try harder.
Meanwhile, anything we do absent the full working of His grace within us does nothing to reveal the glory of God at work in us and through us.
Our problem is not a need for a more specific teaching on how to conquer this particular weakness we discovered we have. The solution is the same as it has been from the beginning of the church.
Look to Him! We must begin to realign the who we are. with the who He is.
The enemy of our souls loves nothing more than to see Christians become driven by their well intentioned attempts at getting free through personal sacrifice and greater due diligence in trying to will themselves to change.
He knows it will end in defeat and discouragement.
The more we look at ourselves, our successes and failures alike the more we identify with the wrong source.
We are getting caught up in the horse and not the rider.
Our identity is what changes who we are. Who and what we identify with is the source of our sanctification and power.
We do not for instance get to experience the power of God because we walk more worthily than any other believer. "Well, God uses me more because I pray more, and read more, and I don’t watch bad shows, or listen to bad things, or tell bad jokes. I am holy, and therefore God is able to use me."
That wreaks of self righteousness which is something God abhors.
Jesus was noted as a winebibber and a glutton and was doing miraculous works and it greatly offended the religious leaders of His day. Why?
They were the, "respected holy ones," who kept true to the traditions, rules and expectations. Surely if God were going to do something significant He would do so through them.
But he used someone who came up out of Nazareth, can anything good come out of Nazareth?
They could not see the rider for the horse he sat on. They missed the point of life, Christ in you the hope of glory.
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
