“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6 NKJV)
“We love each other because he loved us first.” (1 John 4:19 NLT)
“But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 BSB)
When I was a kid I was raised on a farm by very traditional parents. Typically, the roles of girls and boys on the farm were very different. My older brothers spent most of their time working with my Dad doing farm work and helping him run his sawmill. I honestly don’t remember how my older sister spent her time (she was the oldest of the 6 of us), but my younger sister spent most of her time helping Mom with the “women’s duties” (house work, cooking, getting groceries, etc.). Most of the outdoor work was done by the guys, and indoor work by the girls. I, however, was raised in a way that was atypical to the others.
You see, my Mom wanted to have 2 daughters. She was really not into having boys. While she loved us all, it was obvious that the primary factor in her having more kids after her first daughter was that she was on a quest to find girl number two. By the time I came along, the fourth boy in a row, I think she had just about given up on her dream of having another girl. Coupled with the fact that her first daughter was getting older and busier, my Mom decided to keep me in the house with her rather than send me out to help Dad. So I became “substitute daughter” number two. She did get her actual second daughter when my younger sister was born, but she stuck with her plan and I spent most of my time helping Mom instead of Dad.
I share all of this for a reason. I am grateful for all that I learned from Mom as a child.I know that the “domestic” skills that I learned have made me a far better husband and father than I would have been without them. However, I spent most of my life feeling like I didn’t have the respect, or acceptance, of my brothers and Dad. I thought that I had to somehow perform at a level that would grab their attention and gain their respect. In my mind, it just never worked. I was living “for” their respect and acceptance without realizing that I already had it.
This is how many people live in relation to God. Religion is our man made attempt at somehow gaining God’s love and acceptance. We jump through hoops to try and reach out to someone, or something, that we think is basically against us. I know I have spent far too much time trying to live “for” God’s forgiveness, love, and acceptance, rather than “from” that which He has already given me freely.
True Christianity is not a religion of me reaching out to appease an angry God. It is a good, loving Heavenly Father who is reaching out to me, longing to bring me into His Family. When I discovered that I was able to live “from” His acceptance, rather than “for” it, I was set free. What a wonderful thing it is to live “from” my relationship rather than “for” it. I stopped trying to earn what I had already been given. This small, yet HUGE, nugget has revolutionized my life.
I live “from” Heaven, not “for” it!
I live “from” victory, not “for” it!
I live “from” blessing, not “for” it!
I live “from” freedom, not “for it!
You name it, I live “from” it, not “for” it!!!
Get a hold of…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 137: “I am learning to live “from”, not “for.”