My friend, Tom Klopfenstein, tried unsuccessfully to get his comment to take on my post a few days ago (read it here). I so resonated with his comment, I wanted to post it for you.
I too am a recovering Pharisee, raised in a conservative, legalistic, Biblebleevin church.I think we spend most of our lives getting over it. First running from it, then later sifting through and reclaiming what had value, and finally being grateful for the solid foundation and high view of God and His Word we received. As the pendulum swings back alittle we realize that the thing that keeps legalism and spiritual disciplines separate is intimacy in our relationship with Jesus. Grace kills legalism, and falling in love with Jesus daily, keeps the disciplines, which are vital, from becoming empty pride-inducing motions.
I also smiled at the graceful reflection in this comment from Becky:
Wow! I have been wrestling with this very issue. I used to compare my relationship with God to my marriage. I have been married to the love of my life, my best friend, for 33 years. I know him. I can look at him and know what he is thinking. I trust him. The list could go on but my point is; after all of these years, I'm amazed to learn new things about him. I thought my relationship with God was like that until......there was a huge Spiritual Transformation that took place in my life. I'm no longer a part of the "legalistic" church I called home for so many years. I have a new freedom that I can't even put into words. The legalism that made me a "rebel with a cause" is now embraced.
My problem is knowing what to take with me from the past and what to let go of. I've been tempted to bury all I have learned and completely start over until I was digesting your comments.
For years, we have loved to travel. We enjoy road trips the most. We love the journey, watching the map, obeying the signs, seeing new country, meeting new people....... A few years ago we bought one of those TBird convertibles. Suddenly, we didn't just enjoy the journey anymore, we experienced it. We feel the wind, hear the sounds and yes, smell the flowers or, let's just say, you smell it all. We still drive on the same roads but all of our senses are moved now.
Being Spiritually Transformed.....I've taken the top down so to speak. I'm not going to forget the road I've traveled, I'm going to experience it in a new and wonderful way.
God's grace is good. And His people really matter.
