Freed from Legalism

"So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law."  Galatians 5:1


One of the biggest stumbling blocks of my faith has been legalistic ideas and doctrine.  In some cases, this legalism was imposed by a particular church I was attending or a group of believers which I was in Sunday School with.  I will never forget my experience at one church we attended a long time ago.  In my ladies only Sunday School class, I read a passage from my NIV Bible.  An awkward silence followed my reading of the passage.  It seemed like forever before anyone said a word.  To my shock, one lady very nastily pointed out that to read anything but King James Version was blaspheme and that I should never read from the NIV again.  I was crushed and hurt.  I never volunteered to read ANYTHING again.  Nor did I say anything again.  In fact, I eventually quit attending this Sunday School class.  I didn't really fit in, anyway.  I was also the only wife and mother in the group who had a job outside the family.  I felt like such an outcast because I didn't fit this church's ideas of what a godly woman should be.  Though no where in the church doctrine did they condemn other versions of the Bible nor did their doctrine specifically define the role of women, the legalistic undertones were still very much a part of this church.  I even had one older lady tell me that my health issues were judgements from God because I worked outside the home.  (Funny thing is, she had 4 children and worked at the church but I guess she didn't think that was the same as me working outside the home.)  Feeling like a failure of a Christian wife and mother, I eventually quit attending.  Scott continued to attend until we moved because he was employed by the private school ran by this church.  This church REQUIRED all of their school staff to attend and serve in THIS church. So he honored his contract until the end of the school year.    After this experience, I had such a difficult time committing myself wholly to our next church.  I'd been spiritually bullied by this legalistic church and thought deep down that all churches were like this.

Yet I am also guilty of imposing legalistic ideals upong myself - rules of how I thought all good little Christians should behave and act.  These standards of Christianity that I had set up in my own mind were so high that they would be impossible for anyone to ever consistently achieve.  Yet, I thought others did so I tried as well - and I failed.  So I'd beat myself up and chastise myself for my shortcomings.  Eventually, I gave up.  I was left, yet again, feeling as though I was a failure of a Christian.  Now here's the kicker, just this past week I found that I had imposed yet another 'legalistic' standard upon myself.  Upon this realization, I immediately gave it to the Lord, asking for His forgiveness and help.  As soon as I released this to the LORD, my soul was flooded with such RELIEF and PEACE!    I had FINALLY experienced FREEDOM from this binding chain in my life! And, oh, what a difference it has made in my spiritual walk!  The burden has been lifted!

Thankfully, as I have matured as a believer (not saying I'm mature - just growing more mature), God has opened my heart and my eyes.  I realize now that God doesn't expect me to be perfect.  The man-made standards that I thought defined Christianity were nothing more than legalistic hogwash.  Legalism can enslave and mislead believers, frustrating their faith and leading them down a path of unfruitfulness - playing right into the hands of the enemy.  Please understand, I'm not knocking Biblical doctrine or standards here.  I am talking purely man-made legalism. What we fail to realize is that Jesus Christ freed us from legalistic bondage.  So if Christ has set us free, why do we put the chains of legalism right back on?  A little counter-productive, don't you think?  Yet, we do.  We are like the Israelites who complained when Moses led them out of Egypt.  Once free, they balked at their freedom. They begged  to return to Egypt and put the chains of slavery back on.  Why?  I think it's because they just didn't know any better.  It was what they were most familiar with - most comfortable with.  That life was predictable and didn't require them to completely rely upon God.  Maybe our reasons for returning to the bondage of legalism are simliar. 

Paul writes that we who are in Christ no longer live under the law, but under the FREEDOM of GOD's GRACE!  (Romans 6:14)  He also writes,

"Even that question came up only because of some so-called Christians there—false ones, really —who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations." Galatians 2:4

To live in freedom means that we have responded to the grace of God in our lives.  That we yield to His Holy Spirit, who lives within us, guiding us.  With Christ's imprint upon our hearts, our natural response should be one of whole-hearted love and obedience.  It is this loving obedience that helps us live a life pleasing to God.  Because of what Christ did on the cross, we are no longer held to legalistic standards that are humanly impossible to achieve.  His BLOOD was the purchase price of our freedom - freedom from sin and death- freedom from the Law that binds.  Christ fulfilled the Law.  We in no way can ever perfectly fulfill the Law because not a single one of us is perfect.  This is the flaw with legalistic doctrine and ideals - they rely on man's ability versus Christ's.  But where legalism fails, Christ prevails!

If you have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, don't allow anyone to place the chains of legalism upon your faith.  Instead, live in spiritual freedom!  For where the Spirit of the Lord is, THERE IS FREEDOM!

"But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image."  2 Corinthians 3:16-18

 Live in His freedom, friends!
  
In His Love, Cathy

Are You Contagious?

He told him, "Go back home to your own people, and

report to them how much the Lord has done for you

and how He has had mercy on you."  Mark 5:19 (HCSB)

Are you contagious?  Let me rephrase that question.  Is your faith contagious?  Are you infecting others with your faith in Jesus Christ?  If not, why not?

This year has been a very strange year for our family healthwise.  It seems that we just keep passing the same cold and flu symptoms back and forth to each other.  Though we have given our best efforts to minimize the spreading of germs and disease in our home, it still happens.  Once one person becomes sick, it's only a matter of time before the rest of us come down with it.  We've taken vitamins to ward off colds, we've sterilized our home time and time again.  I've tried various herbal remedies that are supposed to speed up recovery or prevent catching a cold altogether.  In fact, I  believe we've bought so much Clorox and Lysol that we own a small share of these companies!  Though we try not to infect each other, we still do.  I had such a virulent cold that it developed into pneumonia and bronchitis back in the fall.  So Scott quarantined me in our oldest son's room, who was away at college, in order to minimize contaminating others in the family.  In fact, at the present, we are all just getting over yet another bad cold.  We now have a NEW family motto as a result of this season of sickness - "The family that cares - shares!"

Although being a Christian is not a disease, our faith should be be highly contagious to others!  My morning devotion challenged me on this very issue.  Bottom line, has your faith in Christ spread to anyone else lately?  In other words, has anyone been saved as a result of being infected by your testimony for Jesus Christ?  You may have only planted seeds or you may have actually led someone to Christ, but the question remains the same.  Or, have you quarantined yourself, restricting contact with others on matters of faith?

Our faith is not really just 'ours.'  Our faith is a result of the work of the Holy Spirit within us.  Once we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, our faith is to spread to others like wildfire!  It is not ours to keep to ourselves.  C.S. Lewis puts it this way, "Nothing is really ours until we share."  Once we are saved, we are members of the family of God.  Our motto should then be, "The family that cares - shares!"  And this sharing shouldn't be restricted to just those in the family - we need to share our faith with believers and nonbelievers alike.  Believers can encourage one another by the sharing of their faith.  Nonbelievers can be led to the cross when we share our faith.

Our Christian faith is an active relationship with a loving and saving God.  A part of that active relationship is being so 'in love' with our Lord and Savior that we tell others.  When I first fell in love with my husband, Scott, I wanted everyone to know of this wonderful man and the love we had for each other.  So, I spread the word.  Whoever was kind enough to listen to me had to endure my profession of love for Scott.  I wanted the world to know that I had found love!  In the same way, the natural outflow of our love for Jesus Christ should be to tell others!  And in doing so, others might also experience salvation!

We are not to live our faith out conceptually, but contagiously! 

I've been challenged today, to live a contagious life for Jesus Christ!  Have you?

In His Love, Cathy

Fear

Then He said to them, "Why are you fearful?

Do you still have no faith?"  Mark 4:40

What are you fearful of?  What is your greatest fear?  Is it fear of the future, fear of growing old?  Is it fear of failure?  Is it a fear of what others think of you?  Is it a fear of heights?  Is it a fear of the unknown?

 

Why are you fearful?  Did you know, from a psychological standpoint, it is believed that most fears are learned traits and NOT inherited traits?  We are taught what to fear.  We grow our own fears inside our heads.

 

Fear of some things can be a good thing, such as fear of the Lord.  But that kind of fear is a healthy fear, a sense of respect, love, and awe for a God who is holy and to be honored.  Fear for the Lord is like a child who respects, loves, and honors his parents.  The child doesn't want to do anything to disappoint his loving parents and so lives in such a way that brings a right relationship between he and them.

 

The man-made fears, on the other hand, are not healthy.  These fears cause unneccessary worry and obsession.  They take our focus and mind off of that which truly counts - the Lord, our loved ones, and the blessings in our life. They can paralyze our faith, making us ineffective in our Christian walk.

 

In the midst of the storm recorded in Mark 4, Jesus and His disciples were on a boat.  As Jesus slept, a severe storm arose.  The crashing waves tossled their boat.  The diciples, seasoned fisherman, became very alarmed and afraid.  In their fear, they awoke Jesus and apprised Him of the situation.  Jesus' response, "Why are you afraid?  Do you not have any faith?"   Jesus was saying, "Hey!  Don't you know that I got this?  Where's your faith, dudes!"
 

So, I ask you. 

What are you afraid of? 

Why are you afraid? 

Do you not have any faith? 

Don't you know that Jesus has got this? 

Let go of your fear and worries-trust Christ with them.  By hanging on to your fears, your lack of faith in Christ is showing!  

 

Trust God today with every fear and worry that you have.  He is your safe place, your shelter, your fortress.

 

The Lord is my light and my salvation -

whom should I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life -

of whom should I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1       

 

GOD is your LIGHT when you are SCARED of the DARK!   

 

GOD is your eternal SALVATION so there is no need to FEAR the FUTURE! He is always with you!

 

GOD is your STRONGHOLD so there is no need to FEAR the ATTACKS and TRIALS of this life!

 

Whom should you be afraid of? 

No one... JESUS had GOT THIS!

In His Love, Cathy

Math Teacher Stops Gunman

Don't know if you have heard this news story yet, but for once, the good guys WIN!  Read how Dr. David Benke, a math teacher at a Deer Creek Middle School in Jefferson County, Colorado STOPPED a gunman.  Though two students were injured, fortunately, no one was killed because of Dr. Benke's quick response.  Dr. Benke's story can be read at http://www.baltimoresun.com/kdvr-benke-shooting-022310,0,1339293.story

Dr. Benke, thank you for setting aside your personal safety to save the lives of students and teachers at your school.

Dr. Benke has my vote as math teacher of the year!

In His Love, Cathy

Absolute Holiness!

This year, I've decided to read through my Bible slowly, prayerfully, taking the time to let God's Word absorb into my heart, meditating and pondering each passage. Tonight I read from the Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 39 through 40.  Chapter 40 begins a three chapter long description of the New Temple.  Ezekiel describes every measurement for every aspect of the New Temple in painstaking detail.  As I read the long, entailing description of the Temple, I asked God why was there a need to record so many of these details.  I asked Him to reveal to me the meaning of what I reading, what relevance did it have.  I mean, I know that Ezekiel is writing prophecies and visions concerning the future.  Knowing these details is important in that way.  But I wanted to know if there were anything more to these passages beyond that of the description of the future Temple.  Quite frankly, these passages are difficult for me to read - it's simply a verbal description of a blueprint. 

But as I pressed on through these chapters,  the answer to my question appeared quite subtly at first.

 "Then the man told me, 'These rooms that overlook the Temple from the north and south are holy.  Here the priests who offer sacrifices to the Lord will eat the most holy offerings.  And because these rooms are holy, they will be used to store the sacred offerings - the grain offrings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. When the priests leave the santuary, they must not go directly to the outer courtyard.  They must first take off the clothes they wore while ministering, because these clothes are holy.  They must put on other clothes before entering the parts of the building that are open to the public."  (Ezekiel 42:13-14) 

As this passage marinated in my heart and mind, I realized it was a testimony to God's holiness.  It encapsulated how we are to approach our most holy God - in reverence and awe.  We are not to take Him for granted. God is holy.  Approaching Him is not to be taken lightly.  The great care the priests took in remaining holy may symbolize the holy hearts we are to have when we approach our most holy God.  I pondered if this was a part of the answer to my question concerning why the details of the New Temple were so carefully recorded.

Excited about this finding, I continued to read on into Chapter 43.  And Bam!  There it was, the complete answer to why Ezekiel recorded such a detailed decription of the Temple.  You know what his reason was?  Because God told him to do so!

"Son of man, describe to the people of Israel the Temple I have shown you, so they will be ashamed of all their sins.  Let them study its plan, and they will be ashamed of what they have done.  Describe to them all of the specifications of the Temple - including its entrances and exits - and everything else about it.  Tell them about its decrees and laws.  Write down all of these specifications and decrees as they watch so they will be sure to remember and follow them.  And this is the basic law of the Temple:  absolute holiness!  The entire top of the mountain where the Temple is built is holy.  Yes, this is the basic law of the Temple."  Ezekiel 43: 10-12

So, there it is.  Not only did Ezekiel record these details because God told Him to,  but the reasons why were also explained.

• So the people would be ashamed of what they had done ( remember, Israel had turned against God at this point in time and were facing judgement and exile.)
• To tell God's people these specifications, decrees, and laws and write them down.
• So the people would remember and follow these specifications and decrees.
• So all will know GOD is ABSOLUTELY HOLY and is to be approched with a heart of holiness!

So, how do we have a heart of holiness?  First, by admitting that we are a sinner and asking God to forgive us of our sin. By believing Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to pay for our sins, and that He rose on the third day defeating sin and death!  By confessing Him as Lord and Savior over your life.

Remember, God is not to be taken for granted nor taken lightly.  Approach Him with a heart of holiness, a heart of worship, a heart full of desire and love for Him!
Grace and peace, friends! 

In His Love, Cathy

Sufferings

"I am in trouble, Lord. Help me!"

But what could I say?

For he himself sent this sickness.

Now I will walk humbly throughout my years

because of this anguish I have felt.

Lord, your discipline is good,

for it leads to life and health.

You restore my health

and allow me to live!

Think of it—the LORD is ready to heal me!

I will sing his praises with instruments

every day of my life

in the Temple of the LORD."

Isaiah 38:14c–16, 20

"Our suffering can, if we let it, become a catalyst for knowing God more intimately and becoming a godlier person. In Hezekiah's case, it caused him to cry out to God. Suffering led to greater humility, gratitude, joy, and praise to God in witness to God's goodness and grace. Don't waste your suffering. God means it for good, for healing. "Think of it—the Lord is ready to heal me!" He allows suffering so that you can seek him fully, and he can heal you."
—Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

In His Love, Cathy