Month: March 2021

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Let Grace do the Work

After my last two posts talked about addictions ( Little Addictions (Sugar) and Little Addictions II (Social Media) ) and how we need to cling to Jesus to deal with our behaviours I wanted to write a post about God’s grace.  How we see ourselves and how we believe God sees us are very important to our daily practical lives, not just our spiritual lives  (because really our daily humdrum is spiritual). I didn’t want us all to focus so much on the work ahead of us that we forget that it’s already done in Jesus.  

Jesus Already Won the Fight

Jesus has set us free, he has won the fight with addiction or sin, whatever that may be.  We are simply walking out our faith.  We are running the race set out for us as Hebrews 12:1 says, “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the founder and perfecter of our faith….”.  The thing we need to remember is that we are not running on our own strength, but Christ’s.  We are not ever given instruction by God and then left to our own devices to figure it out or do it alone.  As we “tap” into Jesus we are given what we need to keep going.  And sometimes keeping going means we are just standing, not even walking, but simply standing where we are.  

I don’t want you or I to get so upset with where we are failing that we take our eyes off of Jesus.  I admit I have done that a lot.  The way I have sometimes talked to myself in my own head is a way I would never think of talking to a friend.   That is just how the enemy of our soul likes it.  He doesn’t even have to do much to take us down if we are doing to ourselves.  We need to take those thoughts captive. The key to change this ugly situation is to focus not on my faults, my failures and mistakes (no matter how big or small) but to realize that not even God, the creator of the universe is looking at those things.  He is looking at a child he loves and he sees us cleansed as he has taken our sin from us.  

As far as the east is from the west,

So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father pities his children,

So the Lord pities those who fear Him.

For He knows our frames

He remembers that we are dust.

Psalm 103: 12

The Righteousness Plan was Jesus

A pastor I had in a church years ago preached about grace all the time.  Oftentimes, he admitted to repeating himself but he was determined to get this idea into our hearts and minds.   That idea was that we are the righteousness of God through Christ.  “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him,” 2 Corinthians 5:21.   When God looks at us he doesn’t see our sin the way we do.  Our Father sees us through the blood of Jesus that has washed away our sins.  God knew we could never be sinless, perfect.  He fully expected you and I were going to mess up and He had a plan to deal with it.  The plan was Jesus.  

Who Do I think I am?

The thing that I remind myself about may sound weird at first but stay with me here.  The reminder is this:  “How bad do I think I am, that the strength and mercy and power of God can’t deal with it?  Do I think I am stronger than God in my sin, that it can overpower His love?   Am I, the created, beyond the Creator’s ability to fix me?”   

If God Himself does not condemn me because of Jesus, who am I to argue?  HIs love and favour has never been something that I could earn.  It is a gift, an overwhelming gracious gift we could never repay.  And he knows it.  

Grace Changes Our Perspective

Operating from this truth changes the way we live.  We continue to work out our faith and do what needs to be done but we have a different energy and attitude about it.  We have already won!  Joy and faith is present in our personal struggles because our job is simply seeking of Him.  

 “Grace is God as heart surgeon, cracking open your chest, removing your heart—poisoned as it is with pride and pain—and replacing it with his own. Rather than tell you to change, he creates the change. Do you clean up so he can accept you? No, he accepts you and begins cleaning you up. His dream isn’t just to get you into heaven but to get heaven into you.”

― Max Lucado, Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine

Jesus accepts you and He begins cleaning you up. Believe me, I thank him for it! Nothing is as beautifully overwhelming as his love and unwarranted grace and favour.

Below is a link to Max Lucado book I mentioned above if interested.

https://www.christianbook.com/grace-more-than-deserve-greater-imagine/max-lucado/9780529117694/pd/911769?product_redirect=1&search_term=grace%20max%20&Ntt=911769&item_code=&ps_exit=PRODUCT&Ntk=keywords&event=ESRCP

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Little Addictions II (Social Media)

Ever open your computer to do something, only to find yourself an hour later on Facebook? You didn’t even do the thing you planned. Did your phone give you a weekly update of our screen time and you were shocked? Do you notice your distraction as you talk to your kids, your spouse or friend? Do you feel guilty about it? Me too!

In my last post called Little Addictions https://anewlifeeveryday.com/little-addictions/ I talked about my struggle with sugar consumption and I mentioned social media as an addiction.  The sugar may be a problem for my waistline and future health but social media is the devourer of my time and mental energy.  And to be completely honest, this has been harder to deal with.  

A Crutch

I admit that social media was a habit that came about originally as a way to deal with stress and to avoid difficult thoughts or feelings.  It was seemingly the only way I knew how to turn off my thoughts. And as someone who thinks a lot about things and is naturally anxious there were a lot of thoughts to deal with.  It was a coping mechanism to deal with difficult circumstances.  My go to time suckers were Facebook, Youtube and streaming television services.  I refused to even get Twitter, Instagram or Tik Tok because I knew I didn’t need another avenue to eat my time. 

The problem now is that the habit is formed and it is my go to once I am even slightly stressed or for no apparent reason at all.  The worst part is sometimes I log on and waste an hour or two without even thinking about it.  I simply open it without realizing what I am doing or that I am going to regret this in a bit.  When I look at my screen time for the day it hits me hard!  Did I really waste that much time?!  

Renewing Our Minds

There are two lessons here to be had.  Firstly, I need to run to Jesus and find my peace in him instead of using social media as an ultimately useless crutch.  Also, the renewing and training of my mind and my habits is obviously necessary.  God expects us to be productive and to work (paid or unpaid), not simply for our or our family’s provision or well being but also for his people and kingdom.  

I need to retrain my mind to stop and think before grabbing my phone or pulling up Facebook before doing that thing that I actually needed to do on my computer.  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”, Romans 12:2.

Heart Diligence

The bible talks a lot about renewing our minds and believe me I need it.  When I am filling my mind with God’s Word and clinging to his promises I am a much better me.  When I am watching entertaining short videos one after another I get impatient, I get irritated and easily angry.  I just don’t want to be bothered. I want to fall into this entertainment hole and escape. Unfortunately, it’s not the vacation kind of escape where you are left renewed or rested. It doesn’t feed my soul with anything that makes me a better person but actually the opposite.  I tell my kids that what goes in your ears and your eyes will be what comes out of your mouth and heart.  I need to remember that too. Guarding my heart needs to be a priority. Proverbs 4:23 says: “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life”.

Now after all that, I am not here to shame anyone who enjoys Social Media.  It can be very useful and has its place.  What I am saying is, “Where is its place in your life?”  Is it in its proper place, or is it taking over time that could be spent doing something that is productive, something that is a blessing to others or ourselves? Are we avoiding the issues of life or trying to fill a hole as with any other addiction?  Is it benefitting you or is it something you feel guilty about? Do you own it or does it own you?  2 Peter 2:19 says “… people are slaves to whatever controls them”.  Ouch!  I am a slave to Social Media and a cruel master she can be.  

Freedom

Jesus has set me free and I do not want to be a slave again!  So, what should I do?  Cling to Jesus because he is the answer to everything that ails our souls and binds our hearts and minds.  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” Galatians 5:1.   Standing firm takes persistence and determination, a doggedness in our pursuit of Jesus. Seek to be changed and to find solutions and even healing to the reasons why we make unwise choices to begin with. I think as Christians we need to find out why we do what we do, so we can begin to steer ourselves to Jesus to meet our needs and fill our souls. Condemning ourselves won’t help, but realizing our need and our problem is the first step.

I just bought a book called “40 Day Social Media Fast” by Wendy Speake and I look forward to reading it and fasting. Speake’s book “The 40 Day Sugar Fast” was really helpful and eye opening. I am planning on doing the Social Media Fast and I will let you all know how it goes when I have completed it. Below us a link to Wendy Speake’s website.

https://www.wendyspeake.com/social-media