| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Living with joy” Our Bible verse for today: “Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh …” Philippians 3:2-3 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Embrace grace and live free in Christ” At this point in his “letter of joy,” Paul continues his discussion about the dangers of legalism and what a joy-stealer it can be in our lives. Since Paul considered this to be such an important issue regarding our ability to fully embrace grace and live free in Christ, it should be that important to us too. So, let’s continue following along as he leads us in our thinking about it. The reason legalism and all of its rules and regulations can sometimes seem appealing to people is because it takes all the thinking out of the practice of your faith. Legalism essentially provides you with a checklist of dos and don’ts. Then you can just go down the list checking them off and the thinking is that if you do enough of those things, then you will be pleasing and acceptable to God. Living in grace on the other hand, is much harder. It requires spiritual maturity to be free from long lists of rules and regulations spelled out for you by other people, living instead by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and to do it in a way that truly does honor Christ. Some Christians engage in what we call “cheap grace.” Cheap grace is when a person abuses their freedom in Christ and uses it to live in a way that is contrary to Biblical principles. But they conclude it is safe and okay to do that because they’re saved anyway. And so, they profess faith in Christ but then engage in behaviors that are unbiblical, like a homosexual relationship. Or they profess faith in Christ but then have sex outside of marriage even though the Bible expressly forbids that. Or they cheat on their taxes, or any number of other behaviors that are clearly wrong. Those are examples of people abusing grace and treating it cheaply. Spiritually mature Christians live according to Biblical principles and they do it simply out of love for Jesus. Grace gives us the freedom to live free in Christ under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Legalism, on the other hand, works to control behavior in a heavy-handed and authoritarian manner. That is the exact opposite of what Jesus intended. Paul has a good deal more to say on this subject – too much for us to consider in a single daily devotional. So, we will pick this back up tomorrow. In the meantime, I urge you to embrace grace and live free in Christ! God bless, Pastor Jim If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
| Copyright © 2024 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Oak Hill Baptist Church 3036 Genesis Road Crossville, TN 38571 |
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