There is no possible way that you can transform me better than Jesus has, can, and will continue to. There is no possible way that you can teach me better than the Holy Spirit has, can, and will continue to. And There is no one but the Father that I will have to answer to at the gates of Heaven for how I lived my life.
I live my life for Him, to the best of my ability. I rely solely on the Holy Spirit to teach me, convict me, and correct me. I do not need man's intervention in those areas. God has it covered. I live under grace, cleansed by the Blood of Jesus. I do not and WILL NOT minimize what He did on the Cross for my sins. For those I have done in the past and those I am sure I will do in the future because I cannot.... I repeat, CANNOT, by my own efforts, earn my way to Heaven by keeping to The Law of the Old Testament to a T. Jesus KNOWS that I cannot, nor can ANYONE, at all. If they tell you otherwise, consider them in good company with the enemy and to be hypocrites, because there is no one, not ONE on earth who can measure up to God's Glory. We ALL fall short.
When I am convicted of something (By the Holy Spirit) and shown clearly that it is a sin, I then apply that wisdom, and do my best to not engage in those acts, and walk fervently in the Spirit, BUT understand this: I do not focus so hard on trying not to sin, so much so, that I lose focus on relying on His grace and mercy to cover me when I fall. See..... I will not exhaust myself, not ever again, at idolizing sin by giving it all of my attention rather than Jesus being at the forefront of my mind. Nor will I jump through religious hoops to put on a show for the Christians who pretend to have it all together.
My God knows every single piece of me that is still in need of mending. He knows every area in which I am in need of correction. He knows exactly why I struggle, when I do, and the reason behind why I struggle. At no point in time is He ever taken by surprise when I slip and sin. He sees it coming. He knows every aspect of every single thing I do in my life. And lastly HE KNOWS exactly how to handle me. Jesus is a gentle and perfect teacher. He does not need our help. I repeat.... He does not need our help! Let Him do His job. He is PERFECT at it.
I was reading in the Word this morning in John. And it talked of Jesus healing a lame man on the Sabbath.... (John 5)
(Now, one of the Laws of the Old Testament even today, is that we are to keep the sabbath holy and not do work on this day.)
Now, when The Pharisees saw that Jesus had healed this man, they were furious; and they objected. They said to the man who was healed, “You cannot work on the Sabbath!! The law does not allow you to carry that sleeping mat!!”
The man replied, “But the one who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’" The Pharisees demanded to know who told this man such a thing, still enraged.
The man couldn't tell them who because Jesus had blended into the crowd by then. Jesus later found the man in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; sin no more.” Then the man went and told the Pharisees that it was Jesus that healed him and told him to carry his mat. Then The Pharisees began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules.
Jesus simply replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
The point I am trying to make by sharing this story (and sorry this post is so long but it needed to be said) is that The Pharisees being so focused on keeping the Law missed entirely that this man needed healing regardless of the day, and Jesus healed him because that's who He is, and also the man did the right thing despite what the Law said because he was under the perfect guidance of Jesus Christ.
This man encountered Jesus. Jesus ignored the Law and healed him. The man ignored the Law and followed the orders of Christ. The Pharisees were puzzled as to why?
This is why.
Jesus came to be the Covenant between God & His children. He knew we needed a way to come into relationship with the Father. He is The Way. (John 14:6) And when He came to earth and died, The Law was fulfilled in Him.
Jesus gave us two commandments to follow:
1. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."
2. "Love your neighbor as yourself."
If you Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind, will you desire to do His will? Yes.
If you Love your neighbor as you love yourself, will you want to harm them, steal from them, lie to them? No.
By keeping these two commandments alone, we keep the Law of Jesus Christ, and The Law of Jesus Christ, fulfills the Law of the Father.
So when I get a tattoo for example, does it have any effect on me loving the Lord with all my heart, soul & mind? No. I ADORE HIM with all that I am.
Does it have any effect on me loving others as I love myself? No. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ, and would not want to hurt them or make them feel unloved in any manner, because I don't want to be hurt or made to feel unloved.
So am I keeping the Law? Absolutely.
I LIVE IN CHRIST JESUS. HE LIVES IN ME. He is my Father, Teacher, Counselor, Rock, Redeemer, and my Rescuer. He has saved my soul from the brink of Death. He has given me the gift of Grace that has allowed me to live a life rooted in Joy. And that is a gift for any who should be willing to receive it.
By saying all of this, am I saying that because we have this freedom of Christ and we are covered by God's grace, we should sin to our hearts content? Not at all.
"Freedom is not the the ability to do what you want. It's the responsibility to do what you ought." - Author Unknown
Keep to the Law of Christ and you will do what you ought to do, just as the man who was healed did. If you should fall and struggle, confess to your Abba for forgiveness, and move on. Don't linger in the sin that has already been washed clean by The Blood of Jesus nor waste a minute of your time being consumed by perfecting your ability to not sin.
In conclusion: Jesus said “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
He is constantly working on us and in us to transform us. His job is never done. And there is no one better suited for this job. So please, please stop repeating the same Leviticus verse about my tattoos, and telling me my body is a temple or attempting to correct me in any area you assume I am wrong in. God has got ALL areas covered. Let Him teach me as He sees fit. Let me do His will in peace. Go and seek for yourself and pray to Him that the Holy Spirit will reveal the Truth of His word to you. As for me, I have complete peace within my soul from Jesus. I do not need to justify that to you, nor can it be disputed, so please stop trying. He will correct me as He sees fit because He knows me like He knows the stars in the sky. He called me by name out of the depths of sorrow to let me know simply that I am loved, and all I am trying to do here through this ministry, is bestow that same love to others so that they too may experience this beloved adoration from a wonderful Father. We are all precious to Him and worthy of His love, we were made worthy simply by being born. We don't have to earn that. There is absolutely nothing you did or can do that can separate you from His Love. I pray you receive Him into your heart, come into relationship with the Holy Spirit and keep to The Law of Christ. Let us not make it more complicated than it has to be. Be blessed now.
- Brianna Carey ©
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