From Religion As Usual to God's Abundance
What if it really is by grace?
Here’s how many of us think about our relationship with God:
God’s Grace + My Hard Work = Right Standing with God
This is religion as usual..and it’s terrible for you.
For most of us the emphasis becomes my hard work and that typically leaves us in one of two ditches:
God’s Grace + My Hard Work (“I’m never good enough!” Results: constant guilt/shame/religious burnout) = Struggle to Ever Feel My Right Standing with God
Or
God’s Grace + My Hard Work (“I’m doing it all right and I’m awesome…and most everyone else isn’t as awesome as me!” Results: religious self-righteousness) = Delusionally Thinking I’ve Earned My Right Standing with God, No Grace Really Needed
Take a couple minutes today to ask: Which one of those two are you most tempted towards? With what kind of fruit?
Here’s the alternative on offer from Jesus:
God’s Grace + Nothing = Right Standing with God
It is, indeed, by grace that you have been saved, not by anything you do.
While the alternatives bear the bad fruit of burnout or self-righteousness, what is the fruit of this kind of life with God?
This is just one thread of questions in this month’s always free Greenhouse Retreat: From Scarcity to Abundance.
Greenhouse Retreats: helping you create conditions ideal for long-term fruitfulness.
Happy flourishing y’all,
Alex
P.S. It’s free to access the guide! Download it, print it out, and park it by your bedside or in a quiet corner of your living room where you might spend a few minutes going through it each day…or find a day where you can take a few hours to retreat. Click here.