Internal Legalism
As I continue to explore Who Christ is on the inside of me, I marvel at His uniqueness in each of us. As I’ve mentioned, I am finding new freedom on the subject of weight loss and am amazed at how cleverly bound by performance pressure I have been. Over the years I have felt the strain of legalism in my attempts to do better, or to be a better person, or to meet the expectations of others. More recently I’ve seen the legalism that is internal performance pressure (as opposed to external) and how it debilitates freedom in equal measure. The Lord peels the layers of this...
Read MorePleasing Him
If personal goals are focused on pleasing myself rather than pleasing Him, then His voice on the subject will be clouded and misdirected. ~ Susan Mucklow For some time the subject of weight loss was dormant. It had been a sore subject in my life and like an actual sore, I habitually picked at the scab which caused more harm than good. The Lord asked me to “leave it alone.” This year He resurfaced the subject with an undisclosed goal in mind. I have had the discipline to follow a diet plan, but a new layer of this old problem surfaced with a seeming inability to drop the...
Read MoreHis Question
‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Matthew 25:23 Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand… Job 38:2-4 Then Job answered the Lord and said, “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once I have spoken, and I will not...
Read MoreThe Sound of His Voice
Change and growth occur as I gracefully grow into changes that reflect who I am – even as who I am comes into focus. This ugly duckling becomes a swan in time. The fruit eventually bears the good nature of the seed. Developmental stages may look awkward, but in the end, Christ is reflected in me, as me. Conscious reliance on Christ is my practice. It is the work of believing and the renewing of my mind. It is not easy to rely on His action within me, especially if I can’t see the work He’s doing; but He’s asked me to trust even when it seems He is neglecting a...
Read MoreHoly Union
Writing is both an outlet and an inlet. I let go of unnecessary weight and take in an easy yoke. Writing slows down my inner world so that perceptions that were just beyond my reach come close enough to access. I grasp the inner nature of things more intuitively when I put pen to paper. Clear (and often sudden) understanding of emotions and impulses that were rejected from my awareness (but still able to influence my behavior) is an advantage I experience when I write. The mental retrieval of my resources in Christ Jesus are quickened when I write. Scripture bears that I have the mind...
Read MoreDisarming Temptation
I still experience invasions of fear, hate, worry, lust, self-seeking, and weaknesses in the flesh. But I see that the real damage is done when I think that “I” should be able to resist those invasions or be capable of not reacting to the duality I still witness. In that moment, I fall into the abusive pattern of independent thinking and I feel obligated to respond to a “should” or a “should not.” Condemnation quickly follows. The “shoulds” stumble me every time I buy into the lie that says that I should be watching myself, fixing my life,...
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