Maybe in December.
Maybe in December.
Maybe in December.
Legalism among Christian disciples is the product of misplaced or misundertood trust that diminishes grace.
From Sam Storms:
Legalists feel good when they can identify another person’s errors. It reinforces their feelings of superiority. They actually think themselves more spiritual, more godly, and more favored and loved by God.
There’s a flip side to the legalistic spirit. In addition to being quick and dogmatic in identifying the small and rare failures of others, the legalist never acknowledges his own faults and failures. To admit and confess to sin or misjudgment is to run the risk of losing power, losing face, or losing prestige.
What drives this spirit? It is the belief that one’s own efforts and achievements merit acceptance with God and approval from men. Instead of resting in Christ’s achievements, confident of what he has done for us, legalists redouble their own works and take pride in what they do in view of what others don’t.
Look again at Mark 2:24: “And the Pharisees were saying to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?’” Or again, Mark 3:2: “they watched him closely” (niv). That’s the legalists’ spirit: always on the lookout for someone else’s sin; always scanning the horizon for someone’s failure to measure up to their rules, rules that aren’t in the Bible; always spying on the behavior and beliefs of the other person to root out the slightest deviation from their traditions. They nitpick and judge, nitpick and judge, nitpick and judge!Read the whole post at the Crossway Blog.
I keep track of Advent without specifically following it.
I think it’s helpful to acknowledge what the majority of Christians have been doing throughout the centuries and do throughout the world today, while affirming our non-conformist ways.
One of my colleagues was throwing a bit of shade about the situation the other night, and wanted to know what Advent was.
I told him it was when we could use one of these.
Imagine it, “Where’s the pastor?” “Just having his daily Advent observance?” “It’s only 9.30 in the morning.”
…I feel like an Advent, I feel like an Advent, I feel like an Advent or two.
…You can get it preparing a sermon, you can get it organising a roster, after a hard day’s pastoring a hard-earned thirst deserves an Advent observance. Advent, matter of fact I’ve got it now.
My daughter Christine holding her Mary Poppins POP figurine birthday present. Someone who’s practically perfect in every way, holding a POP figure.
