So often we make our faith in Christ about us. How can we find more time to pray? How can we pray better? How can we get in more Bible reading? How should we study God’s Word? How can we strengthen our devotional life?
None of those are bad things, but they are things that we must do ourselves. And I don’t know about you, but whenever I focus on what I can do, I fall short. I come up empty. I feel guilt over not doing enough.
That’s where Christ steps in.
The Christian walk isn’t about doing more, it’s about Christ being all. Receiving Christ. Trusting Christ. Allowing Him to do His work in us.
I’m reading a book that is encouraging my heart so very much when it comes to the guilt of not doing “enough” for Christ. It’s called Grace Upon Grace. Even the title brings comfort, yes?
I want you to read carefully the following quote from Grace Upon Grace. For me, this sums up beautifully our life in Christ. Wow. Wow. Wow. Such COMFORT and HOPE that it’s not about me and what I can do, but about CHRIST and what HE has already done and continues to do for me!
“The journey of Moses into God’s presence [Exodus 20] is an apt symbol for the odd progress in our own spiritual life: the progress that takes us through the darkness, rather than from the darkness, into the light of God. As we mature in faith, we move away from pride in ourselves and our own achievements to a gradual awareness of our spiritual failure and Christ’s work in us as we entrust ourselves to Him. We move away from the conviction that we are self-sufficient to the repeated experience of spiritual bankruptcy. We move on from delusions of our spiritual importance to a growing sense of our utter insignificance and the glory of God. We move on from delight in our own power to the painful recognition of our spiritual weakness. We are brought from our self-righteousness to the increasing consciousness that we are sinful. In each of these painful realizations, we recognize the glory of God. Christ fills our emptiness and justifies us by grace. In short, the power of Christ is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9.)”
from Grace Upon Grace, chapter 1
Grace Upon Grace: Edie’s Thoughts
I’m sure most of you know the blog Life in Grace written by Edie Wadsworth, she is a local friend of mine and I’ve linked to her lots before. She has written a post on each of these chapters and I wanted to share them with you here. Her writing is beautiful.
She is also PERISCOPING through each chapter during this Lenten season of 2016, but you can go back and listen to these and read the book anytime, it’s definitely a book for anytime, not just Lent.
- Introduction: Receptive Spirituality
- Chapter 1: The Mystery of Christ
- Chapter 2: The Mystery of Meditation
- Chapter 3: The Mystery of Prayer
- Chapter 4: The Hidden Battle
- Chapter 5: Hidden Holiness
Edie’s Periscopes
- Grace Upon Grace – introducing you to the book
- Grace Upon Grace: Introduction, Receptive Spirituality
- Grace Upon Grace: The Mystery of Christ
{Find all of Edie’s periscope videos here. She hasn’t gotten to the next chapters yet, but she plans to do so.}
This book is written by a Lutheran, Edie is also Lutheran. I attend a Baptist church, but could easily fit in many places I think. {grin} I’m not one to be too choosy with denominations when we have so much to learn from one another! And I absolutely think we can all find comfort and encouragement in our STRIVING by learning that Christ is all for us. This book will bless you so much, I’m sure of it, that’s why I decided to share it here.
{Find the book Grace Upon Grace here.}
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