The Grace Awakening by Charles R. Swindoll
Author:Charles R. Swindoll [Swindoll, Charles R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2010-07-25T00:00:00+00:00
DAY 15
So Christ has really set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and donât get tied up again in slavery to the law.
Galatians 5:1 NLT
FOUR ANTILEGALISTIC STRATEGIES
Grace killers cannot be mildly ignored or kindly tolerated. You can no more allow legalism to continue than you could permit a rattlesnake to slip into your house and hide. Before long, somebody is going to get hurt. So then, since liberty is worth fighting for, how do we do it? Where can our personal grace awakening begin? I can think of four strong strategies:
Keep standing firm in your freedom. Iâm reminded of what Paul wrote in Galatians 5:1: âIt was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.â Stand your ground. Ask the Lord to give you courage.
Stop seeking the favor of everyone. This may be a stubborn habit to break, but it is really worth all the effort you can muster. If youâre in a group where you feel you are being coerced to do certain things that are against your conscience or youâre being pressured to stop doing things that you see no problem with, get out of the group! Youâre unwise to stay in situations where your conscience tells you it is not right. That is nothing more than serving men, not God. I donât care how spiritual sounding it may be, stop seeking the favor of everybody.
Start refusing to submit to bondage. Call it what it is: slavery. Itâs trying to be âspiritualâ by performance. Think of how delightful it would be to get rid of all the anxiety that comes with the bondage to which you have submitted yourself; think how clean you could feel by being real again, or perhaps real for the first time in your adult life.
Continue being straightforward about the truth. That means live honestly. If you donât agree, say so kindly but firmly. If you are the only one, be true to yourself and stand alone. When you blow it, say, âI blew it.â If you donât know, admit the truth. Itâs okay not to know. And the next time your kids spot hypocrisy, even though you may feel embarrassed, agree with them, âYou know what, kids? Youâre right. I was a first-class hypocrite. What you saw and pointed out is exactly right.â Tell them that. It may sound embarrassing to you now, but they will admire and respect your admission. And they wonât grow up damaged. Best of all, they will learn to model the same kind of vulnerability and honesty, even if you are in vocational Christian work . . . especially if youâre in vocational Christian work. Nobody expects perfection, but they do and they should expect honesty.
We need affirmation and encouragement to be all weâre meant to be, and because so many are rather delicate within, they need those who are strong to assist them in their fight for liberty. And so, if for no other reason, liberty is worth fighting for so others can breathe freely.
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