A coating of snow arrived this morning, much to my surprise. At times in life I have fallen into the worst sort of legalism. Sort of: Rules is rules, and only fools would break the narrowest possible definition of the rules! Yesterday, I mentioned those phases of the Christian growth that we might rather avoid. Legalism is certainly one of them. Legalism in the Christian sense makes the growing Christian miserable, AND it makes all those around him or her miserable too. Legalism walks about using the biblical rules as a club to pound others senseless. There is no love in legalism. Yet, in our growth from newly reborn Christian to fully mature child of God, we all seem to find that phase.
The good part of that time is in the realization that all have sinned and fallen short of God's glorious standard. We know that our salvation is wholly dependent upon Jesus and Jesus alone. We understand that we are no better than the pagan unbeliever, except that Jesus has saved us. Exactly what the Law is supposed to do. Hooray. But, when we fall into the harsh legalistic judgment of the self and others, we start beating that whom God loves into the ground of despair. God loves you and God loves me, and it's not up to legalistic me to beat down thee or me!
Let us love one another in Christ, and have a great and wonderful Friday in God's love!
Bucky
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