Heaven's Perspective
Christian spirituality is based upon abiding in, or connecting with, God’s love and care. That is its center. All the things we should do, from loving others to being moral and responsible, flow from, or are the fruit of, this core experience.
If we BELIEVE in God’s love and that He wants the best for us. If we BELIEVE that He is able to guide and care for us, we will want to follow Him, there is no need for force or pressure. If we BELIEVE that all our circumstances are being orchestrated for our good, we don’t need to get bogged down in discouragement. If we can do this in the new covenant moral atmosphere of complete freedom, without condemnation, where faith and love alone motivate cooperation, it is empowering.
The problem is that we tend to believe this until things go "wrong". Then our faith breaks down. We let our negative circumstances dictate how we see reality. This, however, is where we must fight the fight of faith, believing that God is working in these very circumstances for our good. If we can do that we will find peace.
We should not be too wed to outcomes. If our circumstances have to be a certain way for us to find peace, then we will rarely have peace. We need to accept our circumstances as ordered (caused or allowed) by the Lord. They are either good or good in process and we need to find peace in that fact.
Growing through a new covenant relationship with God requires that we be converted to seeing things from the perspective of grace. It requires that we focus on this perspective for change rather than the will. It requires that we LET this perspective grow us rather than trying to force our fruit to grow.
You have a choice. Which covenant do you think will accomplish what you want? All too many have succumbed to the natural old covenant of reward and punishment. It doesn’t work. It makes phony goodness, goodness that comes from the will rather than the heart.
Copyright Patrick Fagenstrom, 1/14
If we BELIEVE in God’s love and that He wants the best for us. If we BELIEVE that He is able to guide and care for us, we will want to follow Him, there is no need for force or pressure. If we BELIEVE that all our circumstances are being orchestrated for our good, we don’t need to get bogged down in discouragement. If we can do this in the new covenant moral atmosphere of complete freedom, without condemnation, where faith and love alone motivate cooperation, it is empowering.
The problem is that we tend to believe this until things go "wrong". Then our faith breaks down. We let our negative circumstances dictate how we see reality. This, however, is where we must fight the fight of faith, believing that God is working in these very circumstances for our good. If we can do that we will find peace.
We should not be too wed to outcomes. If our circumstances have to be a certain way for us to find peace, then we will rarely have peace. We need to accept our circumstances as ordered (caused or allowed) by the Lord. They are either good or good in process and we need to find peace in that fact.
Growing through a new covenant relationship with God requires that we be converted to seeing things from the perspective of grace. It requires that we focus on this perspective for change rather than the will. It requires that we LET this perspective grow us rather than trying to force our fruit to grow.
You have a choice. Which covenant do you think will accomplish what you want? All too many have succumbed to the natural old covenant of reward and punishment. It doesn’t work. It makes phony goodness, goodness that comes from the will rather than the heart.
Copyright Patrick Fagenstrom, 1/14