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So it appears its been a little while sense I posted last... Ouch, like a year and a half.

Definitely have been feeling that I need to get back into a little teaching and this is a good opportunity for that so...

FYI - this thought was originally designed to "preach" to me, but maybe someone else can relate.

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True Gospel…

We are finally starting to hear the real gospel, that we can do nothing of ourselves to be saved, that it is by God’s grace alone. Interestingly, we still seem to have a problem understanding that we don’t continue in our salvation on our own. We approach Christianity as though we are saved by grace, but then after the point of redemption it’s about us being good people. We still don’t understand the whole gospel. Nothing we ever do is deserving of salvation, or the Father’s approval but he chooses to love us anyway. (“After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Gal 3:3)

Even Worse…

We expect God to “bless us” with our desires. “Bless us?” What are we really looking for there anyway? We’re looking for our own selfish desires. We are looking for the pay raise, the spouse, the great job, the amazing church, those godly friends so that we can have the life we think a Christian or “blessed” person should have. Christianity isn’t designed by God to have nice cars and houses, perfect families, the best job, and no problems in any relationships. Christianity is designed by God to be like Jesus. Who didn’t have a nice big house and sports car, a perfect family situation, the dream job, or relationships that didn’t need work. Jesus lived a hard life! At the end of His hard life, he then told us that we were going to have a hard life! (“Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. John 15:20)

Peace…

In the midst of telling us about this hard life, God is sure to let us know that peace is freely given. He even clarifies that this peace is superior to the peace that the world gives. (“I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27)

Nothing owed…

Know that in the middle of grace for salvation and peace for your life on this earth, God owes you nothing. Nothing! Your salvation and peace of mind is a gift from Him. You don’t stock-up good works and then expect your prayers, with personal desires, to be answered. You don’t get an amazing spouse because you think the scripture “he who finds a wife finds a good thing” entitles you to one. You don’t receive money, cars, and houses so that following God looks attractive. He owes you none of these things, so for you to expect them is absolutely absurd and probably on the verge of blasphemy. What he truthfully owes you… (“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23)

The only reason you survived sense your first sin is because He sustains life. (Colossians 1:17) The reason you weren’t born into a third world country is by His orchestration. The reason you have food on the table, shelter, and clothes is because he is the provider. Get outside of the American sense of entitlement to two and a half kids and a great job with the perfect spouse. People around the world don’t have the basics and we are continually whining that we don’t have the cool accessories to life that we want. Nothing is of your own, the little parts of your life that you think you control and do yourself can be rightfully taken from you at any second with just a word from Him because He outright owns everything! (If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for all the world is mine and everything in it.” Psalm 50:12) Please don’t think you earned anything that is good in this world because of you. All talents and gifts are given by God. Did you build those gifts or talents? Did he not give you the resource to cultivate them?

In the end its all Him, and we could all profit from making all of our lives more about Him and less about us. (“For from him and through him and to him are all things.” Romans 11:36)

-This is a little attempt to shift some worldview, so... some more on this later.