Friday, August 20, 2021
Our Ways
Always Lands Us in the Darkness of the Wilderness.
Even there Christ’s Light Shines
Beckoning Us to Follow
Christ’s Way As
Saints
2 Chronicles 25:8
Rather, go by yourself and act; be strong in battle, or God will fling you down before the enemy; for God has power to help or to overthrow.’
Romans 8:34
Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.
Words of Grace For Today
The way of humans:
Strive, train and become strong to fight, kill one’s enemies and competitors so that all will fear you, get other people to do your will so that you prosper and can enjoy the good things of life and so that your future is secure, trusting that God will reward you for your strength, power, and goodness.
The way of gods since the beginning of time, including those of our ancestors:
(See above for the way of humans.)
The Way of Jesus Christ:
God gives up everything, sacrifices God’s self, and in apparently being defeated by God’s enemies of evil and by death itself God triumphs by coming back to life. The story of Jesus instructs us, that it is not our power that wins anything worth winning. The story of Jesus demonstrates that God wins no matter what, that we need not become strong to fight, kill one’s enemies and competitors so that all will fear you, get other people to do your will so that you prosper and can enjoy the good things of life and so that your future is secure!
Indeed, God uses human weakness and sin, even evil and death itself, to demonstrate that God pours out grace upon all humans, regardless of their goodness; that is God offers forgiveness and renewed life to all people of all time, without respect to any merit. God gives this forgiveness and renewed life without cost or price or as a reward for anything we are or anything we can do. We cannot earn God’s forgiveness and renewed life; we can only humbly accept it … or arrogantly reject it.
There is no battle that we need to train for or enter into or enemies that we need to kill. God simply transforms us wretched sinners into God-made saints (even as we simultaneously remain sinners all our lives) so that we can be the vessels, the conduits, the agents on earth who bring God’s love and grace, forgiveness and renewed life, and fulfilled promises and hope to all people.
There is no battle that we need to train for or anything else that is our human way of ‘getting ahead’ in life, because with Christ as our protector and interceding for us so that God is always for us, we need not strive to make our own ways in life. Our way is Christ’s way, the way of the saints.
There is no glory in this way of life for us, but there is the fullness and abundance of life that cannot be enjoyed in any other way.
God help us if … no, to put it correctly: God help us when we try to find our own ways through life.