No More Lies: Part 4: "Good Christian"

"Being a 'good' Christian means I should be 'doing' more." 

Somehow, from almost the beginning of Christianity, the pressure to "do" things to prove we are Christians has been an issue. If Christian life has two extremes, then the other side would be to "do" nothing and believe that 1) everything happens regardless of what man does or does not do (then how does free will fit in?) and 2) grace covers everything and there is no "doing", there is only "being" (we are, after all, human).  

The problem with this conundrum is there is a little truth in all of it, but my mind leans more to the "doing" because (if you will recall) I am a control freak. 

The Bible says: 

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Ephesians 2:8 KJV

AND....

"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" James 2:20 NKJV

Where is the Balance? 

I know that my time with my Father compels me to change. (That means I do things differently than I have done them before)

I know that the Word of God has some instructions I must follow to live a righteous life. Love God, love people, do your part can sum up what I believe and try to live by. 

I have to remember that this life is not a contest. I am not competing with anyone for salvation. It is a free gift. The mentality that I now have to work to stay saved is a dangerous one. We should strive to please our heavenly Father, not out of fear, but out of love for Him. 

Here are three ways I can live a balanced life of doing and (human) being. 

One: I can do this through obedience. Obedience (of the heart, not just works) is better than sacrifice. 

I can JOYFULLY obey in these areas: 

• Take care of the widows and the orphans 
• Lay hands on the sick
• Give and Live unto Jesus (unto the least of these)
• Serve Where I Am (hand to the plow)  

Two: I can follow the HEART of the law and not just the LETTER of the law. Remember the rich young ruler who came to Jesus? He wanted to know what more he could do to insure his salvation. (Matthew 19:16-29) 

Jesus told him to sell his stuff. Not because we must be poor to serve Jesus, but because we must be willing to lay everything down and follow him! 

Three: I can allow God's grace to sustain me (it is enough) while I let His holiness change me.

"Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 (AMP) 

The lie is not so much about "doing" more as it is about the condemnation I feel. This is brought on by the enemy. He is the father of all lies! I can instead, live out my purpose and passion as I stick to following God's law with a joyful heart. 

It is not about how much I do or do not do, but how much I obey or do not obey. It is about how much I love and live out loud. I am not ashamed of who I am, and I am not ashamed of whose I am. I belong to the Father, and in Him I live, and breathe, and have my "being". There is so much freedom in Him that I can now live my "doing" in Him too. 

When I started this series I knew it would reveal a lot more about me than I was probably comfortable with, but I also knew that I had to work on these things. I cannot believe the lies anymore! You can't either! God made you, called you, saved you, and now He wants to use you. We cannot be effective if we still stumble over the lies of the enemy. 

Join the Conversation

Do you ever feel like you have to "do" more? Please, share your thoughts and leave a comment below. 

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