Thursday, February 14, 2013

Grace.

With lent starting yesterday, so many people are talking about what they will be giving up for the next 40 days. I personally believe that this is a potentally dangerous tradition. Why you ask?

Throughout the years when I was raised Catholic, I would always give up something for 40 days.  After those 40 days, I felt as if God loved me more afterwards than He did before. I believed that I was in a higher standing with God after the 40 days than before. 
This is a lie from the pit of hell!

Ephesians 2:8-9 says this, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast."

Don't get me wrong, I believe that it is very beneficial to fast from things that hold an unneccesary pedestal in your life. God uses fasting to speak to us in the absence of those things that were once taking His place.  
The point that it becomes dangerous is when we believe that something/anything we do, has something to do with our salvation or standing with God.  If we have to work for our salvation, that is a distortion and abomination of the Gospel. Jesus Christ took my place and your place on the cross to bridge the gap between people and God, therefore Jesus already did all the work needed for salvation.

So I challenge you to make sure your heart is in the right place with what you are giving up for lent! Don't believe the lie that anything you do over the next 40 days changes the way God feels about you.  God decided how He felt about you BEFORE you were born.

You are loved.
Jack

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