My Back Door: Law and Grace

It's always nice to get away -

but it's also nice to come back home.

Thank you for waiting.

It's time to get into a routine. Monday is a good day to write about what the Lord has been teaching me. Yesterday at church (throughout Sunday School and all the way to evening service), the theme seemed to be God's holiness.

When I teach my primary Sunday school class, I find that putting things into terms that they understand causes me to examine the basic meaning of truths. We are learning about the Ten Commandments. By the time we got to the definition of "covet," my heart was thoroughly chastened by how much I sin against our holy God.

Morning worship focused on Matthew 5, the Beatitudes - on how the Lord wants us to display His characteristics. His ways are perfect and unnatural to our earthly flesh. I can't do it myself. He needs to shine through me.

Even the message at the nursing home reminded me that salvation isn't obtained or maintained by what I do, but simply trusting the Lord.

Finally, the evening service echoed my Sunday class (even the same Scripture - Exodus 32). The pastor emphasized that our sinful natures can so easily turn from what we know is God's will. The Israelites had no excuse, and we have even less because we have the Spirit living in us. Just as they had an advocate in Moses, we have an even greater advocate before the Father in Jesus Christ. I can stand before my Holy God - not just forgiven but justified.