From The Archives-June 26, 2011

June 26, 2011
"Under Grace"
Matthew 10:40-42
Romans 6: 12-23








"And if, as my representatives, you give even a cup of cold water to a little child, you will surely be rewarded." Matthew 10: 42

So, that is exactly what Pastor Rick gave us.  Water--in fact, Nestle's Bottled Water, labeled as Pure Life!

How refreshing!  Much like beginning your faith in Jesus Christ!
Romans 6: 14-"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

In other words, you are no longer trapped by sin (whose reward is death), but released by grace (whose reward is sanctification)-see Romans 6: 22-23.

Of course, this doesn't mean you can just do whatever you can without consequences.  The grace comes in the forgiveness when you have done the best you could but still fall short of the mark.  There will always be consequences and these usually come in the form of relationships--either built up or broken down by your actions.

The first relationship affected is that of your relationship with God.  Sin is the turning away from God, while righteousness is walking with God.  Every action and decision you make will either turn you to God and His will for your life, or away from that relationship.

Every action and decision will also affect the relationships around you, whether with strangers, friends, or family members.   Unfortunately, in our society we have lost our sense of shame, temperance, and modesty.  We like life to be in a flash.  We like our needs and desires to be satisfied quickly.  We want our thirst quenched immediately.

Studies have shown that the typical attention-span for a 2nd grader is 7 minutes. I wonder how long your attention-span is?  And how this affects our relationships?  For Christians, it often means quick judgement of others and their actions (something we are taught not to do!) But we have to remember also, that those same people are passing judgements on us as well. And in doing so, tend to judge the God we represent. But if we use this judgement to judge ourselves and our own actions, and to really critically think about what others are trying to say and what others are feeling, then it can lead to positive changes.  And these will lead to more changes a little at a time.

It is a little like a fly-wheel.  The small wheel of the mechanism begins to turn the larger wheel and will continue in motion until acted on by a resisting force.  Once you begin making small changes toward God, you will continue making ever increasing better choices until acted on by sin.  And how do you keep the wheels turning?  By keeping them well oiled, just as you keep your body healthy by keeping it hydrated.   And in this same way, we keep our spirits healthy by being sure we give our spirits daily "drinks" of the "living water" of the word.

Living Under Grace means never feeling the dryness of the desert of sin which turns you away from God, but always being forgiven and quenched by the Living Water that comes from staying close to God!