A Bad Case of the "Should Haves"

"The Gospel alone is sufficient to rule the lives of Christians everywhere. . . any additional rules made to govern men's conduct added nothing to the perfection already found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ."
~ John Wycliffe

 

Many years ago, as a fairly new Christian, it became very puzzling to me to observe that we were always talking about how we are "saved by grace, and not of works," and yet there frequently seemed to be some particular "thing" that we really should be doing. Over the years, those "things" move in and out of popularity  ;o)  Kind of like fashion: what is old is new again, and "things" that were considered necessary or taboo in 1987 might be coming into "vogue" again in our Christian communities.

 

I remember when there was the Great Discussion about whether or not families should have a television in the home. Of course, wanting to be a "good mommy" I agonized over how to handle this "thing" that had become a huge debate in our church among the young families. Another "thing" that we all had to discuss was how to educate our children; and there were those who insisted that if you didn't keep your children in the public schools, that you were neglecting your "duty" to share the Gospel. Or, if you didn't put your children in private school, that you were neglecting your children's spiritual welfare. Or, if you didn't home school your children, you were neglecting both their spiritual as well as educational welfare.

 

And then the "Mommy Wars" continue, where we all have an opinion on whether or not mommies should be employed outside of the home. Those "wars" continue to this day, as I have observed on several mommy blogs out here in cyberspace. It seems that there is always some "thing" for us to discuss in determining if we are doing it "right" or not. We have "rules" about all kinds of things like whether or not it is appropriate to wear slacks to church, or should we wear make-up or jewelry. These "things" might be different from one Christian community to another, but it appears that there are always certain "things" by which we judge one another's commitment to Christ. Instead of resting in His grace which will guide each one of us to know what is right in our own life.

 

If we truly believe what we claim to believe, that our "righteousness" only comes as a result of our salvation and redemption through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, then we KNOW that we cannot be "good enough" on our own. One of my personal struggles has been over letting go of the notion that I really do, somehow, need to do my part and not just sit around and let God do all the work  ;o)  Silly, I know . . . but perhaps some of that notion came from the years of hearing the clamour of voices calling, "This way . . . .," "No, this way. . .," or "You really SHOULD do . . . " or "You really OUGHT to do . . . "

 

Over time, the "Shoulds" will break your spirit, until you finally ignore all of those voices and remember that it is the sacrifice and the shed blood of Jesus that makes you righteous; His perfection that has been bestowed on me, and on all who believe, as a FREE gift of God's grace. I cannot earn it. There is a balance between truly understanding "grace" and the very high price that He paid for our salvation, and accepting that this is a free gift, which calls us to offer back our lives through a spirit of submission and obedience.

 

Sometimes the differences are so subtle that we get confused . . . . but when we focus on obedience to His Word perhaps it will not be quite so confusing when we encounter the cacophony of voices all around who all seem to "know" what you or I "should" do. Let's just listen to His voice, and do what He would have each of us do, even if it might be different from those voices of "authority" all around us who are the loudest.

 

Please visit Esthermay at her blog, Heart of a Pastor's Wife, where you will find the links to the other participants in this week's "In Other Words." Then, you can leave your link, too, and we can come and visit you to read your thoughts on this quote. Have a great week, and don't forget to seek His face, His voice, and His Word, knowing that forgiveness is His precious gift to you through the sacrifice of His Son.

Comments

[Karen Gillett]

Very good, what simple and true advice to just seek His voice. God's the one we need to be listening to so the first step in that process is to seek His voice alone. Thanks for sharing today.

[Tami Boesiger]

". . . it appears that there are always certain "things" by which we judge one another's commitment to Christ"

No kidding! We were thinking on the same page, Nina. I've felt ineffective worrying about who's going to disagree with something I do. Like you say, we absolutely must be in the Word of God. And I love your conclusion:

"Let's just listen to His voice, and do what He would have each of us do, even if it might be different from those voices of "authority" all around us who are the loudest."

Amen, sister.

[Nina Newton]

Hi Karen - thanks for your kind words on my blog last week. We were out of town from Tuesday until Friday so I didn't get to read my comments until today. ;o) Looking forward to reading everyone's take on this week's quote! Nina

[Nina Newton]

Tami - I appreciate your kind words. It is not always easy to be "honest" with our thoughts, precisely for the reasons that are addressed in this quote - so when we do open our hearts and share out words, it is such a blessing to know that we are not alone in our concerns. Thanks, Nina