As I said in my "
Even Keel" post the other day, my general disposition in life, ever since beginning to have my heart established in grace in the mid 90's has truly been "even keel." Of course that doesn't mean I've never gone through times of doubt, anxiety, lack of understanding, etc. I've not always walked 100%, all the time, in the freedom for which Christ has set me free. In my heart I've not always lived as the beloved child of God that I really am.
However, back then when I began to understand that in Christ I am
already complete, and that God isn't angry with me, and that I really am His beloved, and that my "strengths" and "failings" have absolutely nothing to do with where I stand with Him, the weights were lifted off of me and the up and down rollercoaster ride ended. I began to live
from a state of being complete in Christ, rather than trying to
attain a state of completion (see
The Starting Point). I began to live
from the life of Christ that is already in me, which
is now my life, rather than trying to look to Him to give me "more of Him." I stopped trying to "enter in" to His presence through worship services and through "toiling" in prayer, and realized that I am in His presence 100% of the time!
Again, it's not that I've always lived all of this out perfectly, but the point is that ever since I began looking at things according to the truth of what the Bible says about who I already am in Christ, and indeed not just knowing
about the truth, but
knowing the Truth - a Person, Jesus Christ Himself - I've been walking much more of an "even" life, even in the midst of all of the good and bad circumstances in life.
When you're always trying to attain something from God through what you do or through your own strength and determination, or through trying to "break through" into His presence (a big theme from my Pentecostal past), you're always going to fall short! You may think you've had a victory or two here and there, but yet you always end up stretching and striving and seeking for "more," and you never get there!
It's hard to become intimately acquainted with someone when you're never really sure where you stand with them, or when you think you have to always go through some special process in order to get through to them or to get their attention. In Christ we can be assured of where we stand with God. He has
wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us and has
taken away our sin - and He has given us
His very life and come to dwell in us!
James says, "draw near to God and He will draw near to you." Is this a legalistic statement that disregards the fact that in Christ we have
already been brought near to God by the blood of Jesus (Eph 2:13)? Is it meant to get Christians to try to come up with methods, steps, principles, worship songs, prayers, etc, through which we'll hopefully find a way into God's presence? What if we simply walk in the understanding that Christ is in us and we are in Him at all times, and use James' words as encouragement to have loving fellowship with our God and Father, not through struggling and striving, but through love and faith!
