BoldGrace

After over four years of driving a school bus I have decided to give it up to work full time at our local hospital. I will miss my kids very, very much but something tells me my next adventure will be just as rewarding.  Here is a picture of three of my little boys who ride my bus.

In my next adventure I will be working in the Emergency Room as an Environmental Services Employee.  That’s means I will be cleaning up after all the sick and injured.  I must tell you I am very excited about this.  For me, it’s not about the particular job duties, but rather about the opportunity to be a kind face where people need it most.  I know the power of a simple smile or a kind word especially when someone is at their lowest point and I consider it a high honor to serve those who are in great need.  One of my little ones on the bus ask me if I was going to be a doctor and I said no, but after reflecting I think that in many ways I will be a doctor of a different kind. 

We have a lot of great discussions on this site and I truly enjoy sharing and receiving so much from all who come here but the real WONDER OF IT ALL happens in how we live our everyday lives.  I could have all the knowledge in the world and none of it is as powerful as going out each day and just sharing the kindness and love of God that every single one of us has within our hearts.  God gives everyone of us the ability to to reflect His Glory in all that we choose to do.  We are most at peace when we understand and share the reality of who we really are in every moment with every person we encounter on this earth. 

The Wonder of It All is ever before us if we will just open our eyes and realize the perfect love we have always had will never fail us, never forsake us, never give up on us, and in the end will awaken us ALL.

In the above verse the writer is talking about those who wanted to go back under the law. That is the “SIN”. There were some who had clearly accepted the understanding of the (new covenant) written about in the following verses and yet had begun to have doubts:

The people in question needed to understand that the offering of sin had been made and there would not be any future offerings. The old offerings that they wanted to go back to under the law would not bring any peace to their minds. If they chose that the next verses describe the type of mindset they could look forward to.

The above verse describes exactly what the mind set after the flesh (law) can look forward to. I don’t believe the writer is stating what the reality is but rather what the illusion is for those who strive to be right with God by LAW.

The writer here is making the case to those people who had tasted of this new covenant and then were reconsidering if it could really be true. How many times do Christians today doubt if God’s grace could really go the distance. “Where sin has gone GRACE has gone all the MORE.”

Our doubting GRACE will never be able to change its POWER.  

THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS DOES NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE OF WHAT WE OFFER. IT HAPPENS BECAUSE OF WHAT HE OFFERED ONCE FOR ALL AND OUR DOUBTING IT WILL ONLY CAUSE US INWARD PAIN IN THIS LIFE THAT IS NOT NECESSARY. COMING OUT OF THAT DOUBT IS OUR SALVATION NOT OUR REDEMPTION. 

The writer above is quoting from the law. Certainly everyone who is trusting in following the law will lay their head down at night with extreme fear of falling into the hands of the God of LAW. Look at the definition of fearful in verse 31:

Those who choose to go back and trust in the old system will be inspired by fear, affected with fear, and in constant torment of a vengeful God.

But as we know, PERFECT LOVE CAST OUT ALL FEAR.

The writer of Hebrews is not speaking in these verses of the reality of God’s unconditional love seen in the sacrifice of Jesus. He is talking about the mind of a person who has been awakened to this love and then goes back and chooses the old life of Adam. That person will never have peace in his flesh. We have seen this in many a human being to this day, but the reality is that they have been set free and someday they will see the glory of their own creation and will bow down in utter praise to the God who loved them even before their journey on this earth began and will love them long after it is over.

Our friends Glenn Klein and Mike Williams

Peace Geo

Lyrics | Leona Lewis – Bleeding Love lyrics

I believe it was Bruce that wrote the following introduction to our site:

BoldGrace is a community of bloggers who have come together to share the message of a bold, vast, full grace that was revealed to all the world through the Cross of Christ.

Join us as we untangle the twists and turns of religion, and journey into the simple truth of an awesome, sweet, amazing… Grace!

We are not here to please anyone else.  We are not here for the purpose of debate.  We are not here to WIN or to LOSE.  We simply want to share where we have been, where we are, and where we might be going on this most spectacular spiritual & physical journey.

We fully realize that every single person who comes to this site brings with them an entirely unique experience that could have a profound effect on how we might view what comes next.  I for one am so glad that this environment is full of disagreement and opposing views.  As we consider what each unique person brings to the table it helps us all to realize that God made us this way for a reason and I think that reason is for us to learn as we journey along.

I also think that for us to get the most out of each other we must draw from the Christ within (LOVE) and let that be our gift to each other even when we really disagree.  I so believe in the freedom that this site allows because I think it is in that freedom that we can truly engage each other at the most productive level. 

Is there a line we won’t allow to be crossed?  YES, but that line has not been crossed yet and even though there will always be comments that make some feel uncomfortable we must hold freedom dear.  This is what I always thought was lacking in the organized church.  We must allow others to disagree and still accept them.  We here at BoldGrace believe EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HAS EVERY LIVED OR WILL LIVE IS LOVED THE SAME BY GOD and ALWAYS WILL BE. 

So, speak up to your hearts desire and at the end of each night when you have read all the comments remember that every connection we have with each other is precious and eternal.  Someday God will reveal to us all the Glory of HIS CREATION (which is US). 

Peace,

Cliff

Unless you are someone who has completely given up on life you have rules you live by.  You may be guided by a set of strict religious rules, or they may be a set of rules handed down to you by your parents, or you may have just discovered a set of rules that fit your life best.   The bottom line is we all have rules we allow to govern our lives.

I for one believe rules are important and helpful in living a productive life.  On the other hand rules can become something we follow without giving much thought as to why we follow them and they can be very destructive.  The people that Christ spoke to fell into this last category.  They became so enamored with the rules that they could not see the greater energy behind them.  I think the same danger can happen today by those who are unable to see beyond the written word and to what that written word points to.  Jesus spoke of this in the following words:

John 5:39-47  You diligently study  the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.  "I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.  I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.  How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?  "But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.  But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

In the last few weeks we had some visitors come to our site and blazingly attack and accuse us of just about everything you can think of.  Yesterday I visited their site and read a lengthy post as they praised each other for being God’s champions in destroying us and exposing all of our vile wickedness (according to them).  As I read their words of hate I thought about the above words of Jesus. 

I’m so glad that Jesus will not accuse us before the Father, for indeed, if he did I for one would have no chance.   And Jesus is also right that Moses (and I believe he was speaking about the LAW) does accuse us and finds every single one of us GUILTY.  Thankfully Jesus (who is God) was not going to let us fail.  God knew from the very beginning that our redemption was secured before the foundation of the earth was ever formed.

Rom 8:28-31 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Isn’t God for ALL OF US?  How did I get justified?  How did I get glorified?  Certainly it was not by my doing or my believing and that’s why I will never seek or accept praise from men.  God allowed ALL men to seek him out by their own ability to follow the rules and ALL men failed until Christ came.  There are some today who still think they get some special favor from God because of their RULE following but they have set their hopes on a failed system and at least in this life they will continue to lay their head down at night knowing they have come up short.  In their minds they are still IN ADAM, but someday God will reveal to them that they are IN CHRIST.

Rom 5:18-19
18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

As I said in the beginning "I’ believe rule following can be of great benefit, but not to gain favor with God.  There is only ONE ACT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS that justifies any of us and that one act is not from us. 

So, what are the rules I live by?  Paul sums it up best:

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.

I live by rules that have been written on my heart by God the Father himself.   It does not matter to me who praises me or who condemns me because the praise I receive comes from the one who made me and knows me best. 

Ps 139:13-16 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.