Have you ever discovered yourself making a rule out of something that had been so refreshing and inspiring as a practice? I’ve found myself expecting the same level of outcome from myself and …from others. What motivated me two months ago now has become a way to condemn my lack of progress. It can easily become an expectation that ‘I’m better at this than the other guy’ or ‘I’ll never measure up!’ Legalism and living by the flesh (Romans 8) is a slippery slope if I don’t keep my eyes on Jesus and His kingdom methods. My sin nature is to be arrogant and proud, congratulating myself or condemning myself. Each day is a surrender to His authority.
“Jewish leaders of Jesus' day were serious students of the Old Testament, but they studied to earn eternal life through hard work. Jesus was the living Word of God, yet they had little time for Him. They looked for God in Scripture, but didn’t recognize Jesus for who He was.
If you look for Him, you’ll find Jesus on every page of the Bible. Even Moses spoke of Him, but Jesus said, “If you don’t believe him, how will you believe in Me?” (vs. 45-47). The Old Testament is the foundation of what we believe about Jesus. Look for Him throughout the entire Bible.“ - J Vernon McGee
“I sometimes imagine a scenario in which someone is locked inside of a supermarket and dies of starvation. Can you imagine? You might say this is impossible. Yet in our spiritual lives, this happens every day. Whether we know it or not, we are locked inside the supermarket of God’s abundant life and love. It’s all available to us. Even so, people are spiritually starving. But it doesn’t have to be this way.” - Excerpt, The Deeply Formed Life by Rich Villodas
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