a dance not a line

That thin line between grace and works can be a difficult one to walk upon. One side demands that we constantly work towards a relationship with God and the other places all of the responsibility upon God's grace. And where do we stand in between?

Or is there a line that we have to walk upon at all?

Maybe there isn't a line that we can say, walk on that and you will be right with God. Maybe God is saying that the line that we have been looking for isn't there at all. Perhaps,

He has instead called us to a dance.

A dance where we move to the music of God's voice. We hear His music because we have spent time with Him and when he says He will lead, our pride does not try to take control. When he says to leap, we trust Him to catch us. When He says to turn and spin, we are obedient even though we can't see the path. And, His grace is sufficient to cover all of our missteps along the way.

His Word records the greatest choreographies of all time. These were the saints - Abraham and Moses, Peter and Paul, Ruth and Esther - who danced with beauty and left their footprints as our inspiration and guidance.

The dance that you dance with Him, may look quite differently then the one those around you are dancing. One person's dance might be exciting and full of leaps and surprises while another's is full of grace and eloquence. His choreography is for you and you alone.

This dance is the outward expression of the intimacy we have with Christ. We listen, we lean into Him and He leads us to live lives that are unique and beautiful and that others are drawn to. Walking upon a line of rules and laws may never draw others to Christ.

It is not a line, but a dance - a dance in which His grace will lead.

"keep on doing what we told you to do to please God, not in a dogged religious plod,

but in a living, spirited dance."

1 Thessalonians 4:1 The Message

Entitlement creates hostility

If you look at all of the greats in the Bible, their lives were anything but blessings and roses all of the time. They led powerful and fulfilling lives, but it was no cakewalk. Yet, I think that so many Christians today have this, "what can God do for me mentality." I have to admit that I have had this sense of entitlement to God. As if my life was for Him to give me all that I wanted and when I didn’t get it, I was angry with God. It is almost inevitable that if we are not praying against this “me mentality” that we will fall into it. As great as our country is, we as Americans are consumed with ourselves. It is difficult not to become a product of our culture and allow that mentality to corrupt our walk with Christ.

A sense of entitlement towards God

creates a hostility and separation from Him.

I cannot exalt God when my thoughts are consumed with me. We, as Christians, have a choice. We can ask God to fill us and selfishly never allow ourselves to be emptied because the emptying is too uncomfortable or we can allow God to fill us to be emptied again and live lives of impact. I love the lyrics from “The Desert Song” by Hillsong United.

“This is my prayer in the harvest

When favor and providence flow

I know I’m filled to be emptied again

The seed I’ve received I will sow”

The power and glory God displays through our lives when we submit to Him, far out ways the silly, fleeting comforts we request of this life. We will go through seasons of great joy, but let us also be willing to go through the wilderness for His sake and, in that wilderness, we will experience His wonderful fulfillment like nothing in this life can offer. This is where I am, struggling between what I want and know and letting go for the unknown depths of God. God, help me in this journey.

Clarity

"Without our knowing it, we see reality through glasses colored by the subconscious memory of previous experiences." No Man is an Island by Thomas Merton

In my best efforts, I have read the Bible, but a subconscious filter skewed the power of His Word. Through my past experiences, inevitable misconceptions and misunderstandings, God's powerful truth was lost. It is impossible to ignore the fact that our culture, upbringing and experiences color the picture we have of God. If our picture of God is skewed then we cannot experience His full power in our lives.

"The instrument through which you see God is your whole self. And if a man's self is not kept clean and bright, his glimpse of God will be blurred--like the Moon seen through a dirty telescope." C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity

The life lacking in God's power renders us ineffective.

The only way to combat this is to actively pray for truth and speak against deception that clouds our revelation of who God is. In my best human efforts, I cannot see God, but through God only, I begin to see Him with more clarity and the clouded glasses of deception begin to clear. I am frustrated when I try to reach God in my own efforts because no matter how good my intentions may be, it is an impossible task.

Pray for truth.

Speak against deception.

Only God can reveal Himself to us.

"Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your path

guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long." (Ps. 25_4-5)

"Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line." A.W. Tozer

The following is an excerpt from the book, "The Pursuit of God" by A.W. Tozer.  It is one of the best books I have ever read. 

This particular excerpt is talking about how when we change our gaze from inward self-improvement to an outward faithful gaze to Him, our lives will be transformed.   It just reminds me that even in my best efforts, I can never please God.  Even my attempts to be good and holy is insufficient.  Instead of becoming more like Him, I have set myself up as an idol against Him.      

"The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One.  While he looks at Christ, the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him.  It will be God working in him to will and to do."

"Faith is redirecting our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus.  Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding.  Unbelief has put self where God should be. and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer who said I will set my throne above the throne of God. Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line. " A.W. Tozer

When the rain comes

 ²⁹ He stilled the storm to a whisper; 
       the waves of the sea were hushed.

Psalm 107:29

I took this picture when my family was in the Keys this past June.  

Since this picture, I have felt God warning me of a storm coming my way.  I kept trying to ignore the gentle warnings because who wants to hear that they they are getting ready to go int

o a difficult season of their life.  

I think a lot of people are walking through a storm right now though.  At first, we want to fight it and pray against the storm, that it will go away, but sometimes I think that God wants our re

sponse to be surrender and obedience.  Although it may break God's heart to see us in pain, he sees a bigger pictures and asks us to walk through the storm.  

In the midst of the rain and storms of life and sometimes the hurricanes, we experience God's reign in our lives like we can't experience when life is bright and sunny. 

So, I throw my hands up and stop fighting against it.  I walk down the narrow path that he leads me into and ask Him to help me be teachable and not fight against Him, so that I don't have to stay in the storm longer than need be.  

As my world clouds over and nothing seem

s to make sense, God becomes brighter and closer than ever before - He becomes my refuge and protection.  

The storm I feared becomes a place of sweet peace with my heavenly father.  I experience a closeness I did not experience when everything in life was sunny.   In the midst of the storm, He is near and His love is more evident and intimate than in the brightest moments of my life. 

I am reading Matthew 14:22-35 today. 

Pride and self-esteem - an ironic relationship

This is an excerpt from the book, "Praying God's Word" by Beth Moore.  It is an unbelievable book by the way. I use this book almost everyday during my daily devotions.  It is powerful. 

"Pride is not the opposite of low self-esteem Pride is the opposite of humility We can have a serious pride problem that masquerades as low self-esteem.  Pride is self-absorption whether we're absorbed with how miserable we are or how wonderful we are. "  Beth Moore

The death of earthly hope brings life to real hope

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

I didn't always understand what hope really meant in 1 Corinthians 13:13, but I knew it had to be important because it is one of three things that isn't going to burn away when all is said and done. I seem to so easily get caught up in the hopes in this earthly life, which are always fleeting and will inevitably disappoint again and again. I thrust my energy, talents and my everything into what doesn't matter-here today gone tomorrow type of hopes. And God wants me to stop floundering in empty hope and start thriving in His Hope, His Life.

My life has changed from living in a big city to moving to a very small town where I have not been able to find a job and my days seem to be pointless. This is where God has taught me to put my hope in Him. It has been good to get out of the routine and monotony of life because looking back I was going in circles and making no impact at all. Now, my hope has been renewed in Him. I realize that if my hope is rooted in God- in knowing Him better and loving Him more and sharing the hope that I have in Him with others, I will not be walking in circles any longer but fulfilling the hope which He has called me to. It is so easy to get away from that, but sometimes when disappointment comes in life, our hope is realized once again in Him and that is such a sweet place to be.

This video does a whole lot better job of discussing hope that I could ever "hope" to convey it. So, I will leave you with this from David Wilkerson at Times Square Church. It is worth the time to watch.

The following link will get you to the video and click on the sermon on "The Path to Hope"

The Path to Hope by David Wilkerson