Life is Short, Break all the Rules.

As was shown in Ray's post, sin is not what we want to worry about.  Being overly preoccupied with sin actually causes us to give into it.  Fighting sin wears us out. Making rules against it actually makes sin more attractive.

The other day I sat down for supper.  I had made fish and had bought a jar of tarter sauce for the occasion.  For some strange reason, this jar had 'Do Not Freeze' written in bold letters around the neck. As I looked at the jar I got this urge to freeze it, just to see what would happen.  I mean I've frozen jars before - what's the big deal with the tarter sauce.  I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

A few days ago I saw an elderly, ornery looking guy (he had to be well over 50) wearing a T-shirt that said: 'Life is short, break all the rules'.  I just stood there and looked at him for while, smiling. Thankfully he didn't notice my grin.

There's this dichotomy of either or.  You either try to keep all the rules (or as many as you can) or you just go ahead and do whatevertheheckyouwant.  The interesting thing about this is that neither one of these perspectives is what brings life and freedom. Of course there is the 'easy grace' teaching but that's an old subject that doesn't bring about the freedom and life of Jesus in our hearts either.

In James chapter 1 we read that its the testing of our faith that produces patience (endurance), and its when this endurance becomes fully developed that we become perfect. I remember asking the Lord what this means.... I mean really, how does patience make us perfect?  Some time later the following thoughts came to mind.  Isaiah says that 'all our righteousness is as dirty rags' before the Lord, so becoming perfect is not something we do.  We know that 'Abraham believed God and God counted it to to him as righteousness.  We also know that righteousness only comes through faith in Jesus' gift of His body and blood, and that without the shedding of blood we have no forgiveness for our sins.

I'll sum it up this way ~ Our choice to believe in our hearts (faith) opens the door for us to receive the gift of Jesus' righteousness, forgiveness and victory over sin. And its walking in this place of deepening relationship that brings about the ongoing redemption of Jesus through His Spirit in us.  Our bodies are actually meant to be a temple of the Holy Spirit (or presence of God) 1 Cor 6:19.   The Lord actually WANTS to be with us - which is why He sent His Son to die for us in the first place.  But most of us settle for trying to be good once were saved.  AAAAaaaahhhhh.  I don't even want to think about that last sentence, its SO EVIL because its SO subtle - just the way the Devil tempted Adam and Eve in the garden - he said: if you eat this you won't die but you will have understanding and 'know the difference between good and evil'. And we are still seeking the knowledge of good and evil, and then we wonder why we don't have power or freedom!  

So now the question and focus is no longer about how right or wrong are actions are (good or evil) but whether we will walk with the door (faith) of our heart open, receiving the life, love and victory that Jesus wants to give us. Its 'in Him that we are to live and move and have our being', (Acts 17:28).

Faith in Jesus as our 'righteousness' connects us to our Father and allows us to receive the Life which produces freedom and good fruit, like - Love, Joy, Peace, etc.

Jesus said that without faith its impossible to please God.  And then in Rom 14:23 Paul says that whatever is not of faith is sin.

If our focus is on the things we do (and we end up reducing the New Testemate to a list of do's and don'ts  similar to that of the Old Testement), and then we let our interpretation of our performance determine our identity, we have lost the battle already because there is no power or real room for faith when we focus on our actions.  When we turn our focus on Jesus in faith, opening up our hearts in humility realizing we need to receive from Him continually - anything is possible - but most importantly we learn to know Him as a person, we begin to experience His touch and His transformation in our hearts and begin to truly love Him because we are letting Him love us.  And as we get our identity from what He says about us, our actions begin changing.

Its kinda like a branch trying to grow fruit without being connected to the tree.  If a branch isn't receiving life (and it seems few Christians can receive anything, not even a compliment) then it can't produce fruit although it might try to look like it is.

Recorded for a sound check for Integrity Live's "Deeper Worship"