Result of grace - I can see clearly now

Something wonderful has happened since I've begun to grow in the grace of God. I've slowed down. Not physically, but mentally. And yes, this is a good thing!

I don't mean that my mind can't or doesn't process information like it used to. I mean my mind has grown more calm and I see more clearly now. I've found myself rethinking a lot of things, but I've found that I'm not over-thinking things nearly as much as I used to. Grace... which means rest for me... has allowed me to step back and not try to get everything figured out, and not be 'right' about everything, and not try to get everything done, and not try to save the world, etc, etc. Grace means that I have slowed down, and instead of trusting myself to accomplish all the things of the Christian life, I'm trusting God more and more to "work in me to will and to do according to His good pleasure." Slowing down has helped my mind to be less fuzzy, and vice versa. It's all a result of growing in grace.

Back in 1999, I tried the "Atkins Diet" for the first time. I won't get into the details of the diet, but in short it's a low-carb diet. I did this "diet" for six weeks. And I really did lose a lot of weight and I really did feel a lot better. Of course, after I got off the diet I gained all the weight back and then some! Same with each subsequent time I've tried the diet. Which is why "diets" don't work. But I won't get into that right now!

The one good thing about this experience is that during this short period in my life I cut out all sugars, starches, flour, etc. In doing so, I cleared a bunch of "junk" out of my system and as a result my mind became more clear and more sharp. I was quite amazed. I hadn't realized how fuzzy my mind was until I got rid of the junk in a rather quick fashion! I noticed a stark contrast.

I compare this to what happened in my life when I began growing in grace - except for one major difference, of course. Grace is not a fad! Grace is not a "diet" that I try from time to time when I get the unbiblical notion that my life needs a "spiritual boost." Grace is the ongoing power and presence of God in my life. Grace is the foundation of my life, because Grace is a Person named Jesus.

I've definitely got a lot more growing to do - as we all do - and I can say that happily and with joy because I'm not the one who's in charge of my growth! My "job" is to rest in Jesus, and as I do the Life of the Vine naturally flows in me and through me - a branch - and I continuously experience His life. (Technical note: I purposely chose the word "continuously," not "continually." "Continuous" means "uninterrupted in time; without cessation." "Continual" means "recurring regularly or frequently." See the difference? The Vine's life doesn't only flow through us "regularly or frequently." We experience His life continuously, without cessation - whether we realize it or not!).

Back when I was running around always trying to figure out God's perfect will for my life, and trying to make sure all my "spiritual t's were crossed and i's were dotted," and trying to make sure I did my daily Bible reading and said all my prayers and witnessed to everyone at work, and struggling to apply every last principle that I was taught... and so on and so on... my mind simply had too much going on and the Christian life was pretty much joyless! I had no peace. It was a miserable rollercoaster ride with many emotional highs and lows (mostly lows) and many twists and turns.

To grow in grace I've had to get a lot of the 'religious' junk out of my life. Grace has released me from the pressure to perform and has cleared my head to actually see Christ! Jesus is a Person, not a set of disciplines or principles to live by. About 12 or 13 years ago I was able to take a step back and take a long, deep breath, and my journey of growing in grace began to take root.

I've since found that God's will in my life is not realized as I stress myself out over it! Bible study and prayer are not disciplines as much as they are expressions of a loving relationship with my Father as I grow in His grace. Sharing Jesus with other people is no longer a duty. Rather, I'm resting in the Life of the Vine and He leads and guides as I trust His life in me one day at a time... and all of these things are fulfilled much more naturally, not forcibly, as He sees fit. And much more slowly... but with much more substance.

How has growth in God's grace affected your mind / thinking / thoughts / actions / joy / peace / etc?

Video - Duty or Love?

I know it's about time, but during this past week I finally got around to doing my latest video for Movement of Grace New Covenant Web TV ("MOG TV"). I originally planned on doing at least one or two every week, but it's been more like one every two or three months! Anyway, this one is called "Duty or Love?" and as of yesterday it's in the current lineup on MOG TV, and it's also archived along with my past ones on my video blog.

Analogous

Well I had to do this. :) I can't help but see an analogy between the story I shared about my coffee experience ("But the label is GREEN") and something else that happens in real life.

As I previously wrote, for about 3 or 4 weeks I was using coffee from a green coffee can that I thought was decaffeinated. The can was green, and decaf coffee comes in green cans, right? After a prolonged, unexplained buzz that I just couldn't seem to shake, and a very irritating and somewhat debilitating heaviness and pressure in my head, not to mention chest pain and a fluttering heart, I finally looked at the label and found out that the green coffee can from which I'd made almost a pot of coffee per day (because I'm a sick, twisted coffee freak) actually contained caffeinated coffee.

And so it can be with religion and religious duty vs. freedom and walking in the Spirit. Religion can often look very much like the thing we really want - spiritual living. We can drink from the religion can, working harder and harder out of our own self effort, trying to please God, trying to carve out some sort of spiritual legacy. It can indeed appear very good! And so we get used to the religious lifestyle, putting on the plastic smile and making others (and even ourselves) think that we've got it all together and that we've got this Christian thing down. But before long, we get to a place where we can't deny the pressure in our heads, our fluttering hearts, our chest pain - which may come to each of us in various forms - but no matter how it comes to us we realize that something is wrong about the way we're going about our Christian 'business.' We realize we've been drinking from the wrong can.

My hope and prayer for myself, and for you, is that God will continuously keep our eyes open to understand the subtle differences between fleshly religious duty and the life-giving, life-sustaining life of Christ that is within us. And that we'll always enjoy great coffee.