Things we didn't know about God

I'm still amazed when reminded what God is like.  All the grace, the overwhelming love and acceptance.  It does seem too good to be true.  But it's not.

Recently was studying through things I'd learned in the past and how I see them with a different slant today - in other words, normal, healthy growth - and was surprised at how simple it was/is.

For example, all the teaching in the New Testament, after the New Covenant comes in - all of it is about NOT treating people, especially other believers, in any way that is harmful, abusive, etc.

Growing up, sin was about NOT offending God and NOT breaking rules about worship services activities or how a person was baptized - things like that were heavy, important sins.

Now I see that they are likely things we were making up.  Mind you, we all had good intentions and want to follow "God's book", but we kind of missed the point at times.

God came into the world to show us that we can't and don't keep The Law - any law, even ones we make up - and that it comes down to his choice to forgive us of all sin and GIVE US the gift of his presence.

All the teaching that comes in with Paul, Peter, etc after Jesus' sent the Spirit are reminders to live from now on in ways that reflect how God has been with us and/or in ways that are helpful, healthy, etc.

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Don't be jerks to each other.  

Don't stand around looking at what your neighbor has and dream about having their stuff - go get your own and also learn to be satisfied with what you have.

Don't live for sex and food and clothes and stuff.  Enjoy what's available, but in a way that doesn't require you stealing it or exploiting other people for it.  

Submit to one another - inside your family, to people you work with, etc - in other words, serve the people in your life and do a good job of whatever you're doing.

Don't live for drama - avoid sitting around sharing stories about people and situations - just do good things and love people through what you say and do.  Sure, you can talk things out so you understand what's going on, but leave it at that.

Don't "have church" or get together with other believers and make the entire gathering about what one person or particular group of people like or want to say or do.  Encourage and build each other up, that's it.

Talk to God.  Really talk with God and share what you're concerned about.  Allow God to respond in ways that aren't boxed in by what you want or desire or think you need.  He's not holding things back from you, in fact he's giving you all you need all the time.  There is no deficit.

Watch how you talk - don't speak in a way that needlessly hurts, offends, distracts, misleads, etc anyone else.  That means be aware of the people you're with and speak in ways that brings life and points them back to the good things from God.  God gives us wisdom and doesn't have a list of words you "can't say".

If someone is hurting or in need, help them for real, not just with well wishes and promises that you'll pray for them.  If you can't help them, say that.  

Don't play favorites.  Treat people fairly.  Sure, you're gonna watch out for yourself and your family.  Let that be the baseline for how you think about others too - that whole love your neighbor as yourself thing.

Don't sit around worrying about what God thinks about you.  He loves you already and has forgiven you and given you the gift of himself.  Go do that with people.

And the list of things could go on and on.

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I don't hate on the people who taught me otherwise - I do believe they were doing the best they could with what they knew at the time.

I think, sometimes, that we fear living in trust and dependence on God because we know it will mean releasing or letting go of other things we current trust and depend on that are not God.

And that probably explains some of the motives of people who get very uptight when you question how they do religious things - you're about to upset the apple cart they feed from and they can't have that.

Anyway...God is good, even when we live in pain and don't see what's beyond the moment we're in.  We have him and we can learn to live in contentment where and when we are now.

I love thinking about how Jesus had regular people food and wore regular people clothes and did all the stuff like we do. He didn't come to take us away from life, but to show us how to live.

Just throwing some things out there for those who have asked how it's going.

Grace and peace.