Walking by Grace - Part 1 Freedom to Obey

Do you ever fear that God is not pleased with you or that you need to try harder to do right?
Today through Wednesday we will take a look at walking by grace through faith.

Live by Grace? or try your best, and end up failing over and over or even give up trying because you live in defeat after failing to keep all the rules? That is legalism.

Paul said,

"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” Galatians 2:20 and in Ephesians 2:10 he said, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” and in Colossians 1:27, “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” and in Galatians 5:1,13,16-17, & 22-13,“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

The law tells us to do the best we can to meet God’s requirements - “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the LORD, which I am commanding you today for your good?” Deuteronomy 10:12-13 We try AND WE KEEP FAILING. That is one of the purposes of the Law; to show us we can never keep it perfectly and that because of that we need a Savior who did keep it perfectly for us.

GRACE tells us that God has done it all. Jesus finished taking care of sin on the cross, Jesus rose from the grave to show His power over death and the power over sin and He is now in Heaven to every time the devil accuses us say, “paid in full”. “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” Romans 8:34

Because you realize you don’t deserve forgiveness and that you in your own power you are a helpless sinner who deserves hell, and that no change of your behavior will make you loved by God anymore than He did the day He died in your place on the cross. That should lead you to be eternally grateful! So grateful that you want to obey Him (“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” Jesus said in John 14:15).

All those verses above and others that show you don’t have to DO; you can relax and experience peace no matter what is going on trusting that holy, infinite God is in control and nothing comes as  a surprise to Him. In that attitude of thankfulness, you can trust and obey Him and walk in what He has for you as it says in Ephesians 2:10. You can let it be not I, but Christ working in and through you, not bound by rules and not trying harder any longer. Obeying because thanks to God you can!

                        (Part 2 tomorrow)