24 Dec 2010

Grace and life in Christ in the real world

Submitted by theshovel

My assumptions of what grace and life in Christ look like often reflect my former religious imaginations. Now just because I wrote "religious", don't assume I refer to anything to do with organized religion or church. Instead, what reminds me of those past perceptions are the voices of the world at large. I mean basically everybody. And the subject matter makes no difference, for those familiar imaginations bend even random thoughts and words accordingly. This is the mind or logic of the world. My being in Christ is the only thing that delivers me from it. Don't let anyone convince you that you play by the same vain imaginations.

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Comments

DIGNZ - January 12, 2011 - 1:22pm
“My assumptions of what grace and life in Christ look like often reflect my former religious imaginations.” -james wow! that is quite a statement! a good one!  :) our endless unrealistic assumptions and all the varied expectations that are linked to, with and by them can be certain bondage for us, can’t they, by contrast to the reality of true freedom in the life of god we have in christ jesus. thank god that he is for us the END of any and all the false conditioned assumptions that we were once born into, but are now free-ed from, having miraculously be born into him … having the very heart, mind and spirit of god in christ jesus!  :) there is much to rejoice about as we learn so much of what we once thought to be true of us was indeed NOT true in the reality of who he has made us in him. the heart and mind of the world will always challenge, question and deny the very truth of god that is ours. thank god that all is NOT always as it APPEARS or even FEELs! thank god that there is sooo much MORE to us than meets the eye of the outward! thank god that it is GOD HIM-self Who truly knows the heart and mind of man!  :) “…the subject matter makes no difference, for those familiar imaginations bend even random thoughts and words accordingly.” -james indeed, the bondage of the heart, mind, logic and reasoning of the world … we know it so well, don’t we? thank god that christ has delivered us out of that! we can recognize it because it was very much part and parcel in and with who we once were in the world, but in christ we are no longer. such good news!  :) hey jess! so good to see you! hugs to you!  :) sherri

luvin - January 12, 2011 - 2:12pm
yes, so many times I have looked hard and even sincerely for those religious, dead confirmations. Looking for grace in something ‘out there’ is in itself a lie of the religious mind. It has taken me many years to realize all of that. Funny though that the thing He shows me in that long lapse of time is that I had ‘it’ all along. Jim said this to me some years ago: “Fear and intimidation puts us in “stupid” mode whereby we question what rumbles from within.”

Visitor - March 21, 2013 - 3:04pm
‘Looking for grace in something ‘out there’ is in itself a lie of the religious mind. ’ But if I can see only forward, - towards the things ‘out there’ and in the body, - how can I become conscious of this reality of grace that stands at the back of all things, even of my own conscious attention, so that I may understand and also walk according to it?

justin_schiz - March 21, 2013 - 7:33pm

Hi visitor, I'm Justin a fellow digger! I challenge you to begin to see the opposite of everything you experience in this life. As Jim always says, God reveals via means of contrast. You can only see what is by seeing first what isn't. I hope this doesn't sound as though I'm speaking in riddles.

justin_schiz - March 21, 2013 - 7:36pm

On your journey in the Lord, you will be bombarded by the things and worries of this world, so much so that you'll eventually find there's no where else to turn - nothing else to see BUT God's reality of grace.

JesseScanlon - January 3, 2011 - 10:10pm
I love how you put this, I’m in full agreement, and I couldn’t relate more to the unnerving sense of how limited our earthly imaginations are.
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theshovel - January 4, 2011 - 3:11am

Hello Jesse! So good to hear from you. :) Thanks for the comment.

Jim

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Because I was convinced that my heavenly accommodations depended upon how well I served the Lord, I pushed myself to study the Scriptures as Paul had seemingly instructed Timothy. source