It’s easy when things are clear cut, when there’s only one decision to make. You don’t even have to think about it. But a lot of life involves achieving a balance. Family versus work/career, work versus play, family versus friends (is family only those to whom we are blood related?), how we spend our money – the list goes on. We have to set priorities, because we really can’t “have it all”; or at least not without getting burned out.
A lot of people view God as being either all about following the rules (law) or about love (grace). Some people get upset with Him if he doesn’t come down on someone like an anvil, while the thought that there may be consequences for behavior makes others angry. It’s one extreme or the other. But God is more complicated than that.
John 1:17 says “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus never minced words, didn’t sugarcoat anything, and always called sin sin. But He offered grace to everyone who took what He said to heart and turned back toward Him. In Jesus we find the perfect balance between law and grace.
I believe He never stops calling us to Himself, always waiting for us to turn around and follow Him, unless He sees that a person has thoroughly and completely rejected Him. But scripture tells us over and over that God’s heart is that we would choose Him, choose life.
So, if we are followers of Jesus, our lives should show a balance between law and grace. There IS such a thing as right and wrong, and God decides that. Our lives are to be holy and blameless. But the good news of the Gospel is that there’s grace when we fail. We should treat others the same way. Don’t excuse bad behavior – call it like it is. But be ready to offer someone a way back, a second chance. Sometimes that person is yourself. Sometimes it’s harder to forgive ourselves than it is to forgive someone else.
God wants us to experience His holiness and His grace, and to find abundant life and freedom in Christ. Don’t miss it!
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