Reply to comment

It's nice, as usual, listening in this week - like a sort of familiar fire-side chat, even though I've no fireplace :)

Yeah, it seems these superstitions are pretty prevalent. We bow our heads and fold our hands and seem to expect or hope that it will affect God in our favor. I don't know. Sometimes those physical things are just expressions of emotion. But when I walk into church just before the service and find almost everyone in a similar posture, I wonder if we think it helping us 'get into the presence of God' or 'moving the Spirit' or something. Seems a little superstitious to me.

Of course, the freedom from all this has to be that Christ has already made us as righteous and worthy of Him as we are ever going to get. So, it's about what He's already done rather what we are doing. Posturing, it seems to me, is simple vanity in that it only effects our self image. So is much of our 'righteous works' and other efforts to please God. Perhaps it's all related to the same 'illusion of control' and maybe a little self righteousness or a little pride.

I like to think that acting freely in love - with no thought to reward or concern for our standing with God - seems to be better way to live, and appropriate for children of God. I just can't see God expecting us to put effort into figuring out how to garner His favor. I can't see that leading anywhere good.

It seems we so often find it hard to wrap our minds around the absolute freeness in God's gift of salvation and righteousness. It seems reasonable that we have to do our part somewhere along the way. But I wonder if this thinking is not only mistaken but, in our minds, diminishes what Christ has actually done to us.

Anyway, take care, guys. Thank you and I'll be looking forward to next week's podcast :)