Conduct Cancels Creed

If I left you with the last post you might think wrongly that the sweet Teddy has got the better of us. 

I see God working in all of us to love where our natural inclination might be to withdraw.  When Teddy seems to relish his role of in-house pest, he needs more attention not less.  He is a precious little boy that never had a family and consequently doesn't yet have the social and self awareness of how his actions effect those around him. Living a life of Grace is about choosing to hold on when someone pushes you away.  Living out the Gospel demands that we live immersed in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the giver of kindness, patience, faith and love which must rain on us every day as we are dry of ability.  And I know the Triune God well enough, to know his mercies are new every morning and he always sends the showers.

The work of the Lord can best be seen when our inward calmness ensues in the face of emotional turbulence.  Emotions, uncontrolled and raging, are like eating scorching hot food that burns the feeling out of your tongue.  Then, you don't mind being burnt again, because the damage has already been done.  It is a horrid cyclical life to be left unrestrained.  I lived there once.  It is worse yet to know the evilness of one's heart and to feel one doesn't deserve forgiveness, because of guilt and shame.  It is absolutely fatal to stay there in the corner, all alone, angry, and unrestored.  God not only runs to the prodigal son to meet him, but he seeks out the older brother sulking outside, questioning the goodness of his father.  The Bible is most definitely alive and we get to live in a crazy real parable.  We get to model what we have seen our Heavenly Father do with us and we get to wrap our physical arms around a spiritual issue and a precious son. 

Is it no surprise that the more we put aside our human efforts, dry and futile, and live drenched in Christ that our love for our son grows. 

During a great Bible study lesson this week, I heard the leader warn, "Conduct cancels creed."  I think I see the application in this post.  What you believe, you have to live out.   When you jump into a parable and let your actions and attitudes be interwoven with what Scripture says, you see the Bible as living and active all over again.  God is amazing.