We had an awesome speaker in chapel the other day. I was not sure, to be honest, what to think of him when he first started talking. When he walked up to the pulpit in trendy jeans and a v-neck black button up, I was not sure what to expect. Trendy pastors can be passionate preachers, but they can also be fluff preachers-- in my limited experience, at least. This, however, was no fluff preacher.
During my summer in Mexico, I had spent time reading and discussing Jerry Bridge's The Disciplines of Grace. One of the big themes in that book is that on some level we believe our good behavior is necessary to keep God's favor, but that is SO wrong. God relates to us on the basis of Jesus--all the time! This speaker reiterated these themes as well as brought up an interesting idea, "Christian growth doesn't happen by behaving better, but by believing better." He presented this concept, stolen from Tim Keller, of "blessed self-forgetfulness." The idea is that sometimes we get to caught up in looking at ourselves and trying to be holy, instead of looking to Jesus and seeing grace. The problem is, if we focus too much on ourselves and perfecting ourselves, Christianity can become a new form of self-improvement instead of a radical Jesus-driven life. AMEN! Yes, I want to be introspective and to put off the old self and put on the new self. But YES, I need to look more at Jesus and less at me. How do we balance this perspective with the call to action so clearly in the Bible? It's all about focus. After all, if I am constantly focused on the Gospel, it only makes sense that holiness will spill out, right?
An interesting thought to leave you with:
"The only people that actually get better are the people who increasingly understand that their relationship with God doesn't depend on getting better."
Abba, help me focus on Jesus and revel in grace!
