Amazing Grace

(Proverbs 6:22 KJV)  When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

Ever since Paul wrote his letters we have been talking about being under grace and not the law.  Grace alone is one of the core teachings of the Lutheran and Calvinistic reformers.  All Christians would agree on the importance of grace.  The problem is in throwing out the baby with the bathwater.  This verse in Proverbs is talking about the commandments like we would talk about grace.  Think about the words to “Amazing Grace.”  The parallels are interesting.

There are also similarities to the works of the Holy Spirit. 

We need to look at the commandments found in both the Old and New Testaments as being our friends, not a tool of the enemy.  They are offered as guides and protectors.  The problem is not in the law but in us.  We are resistant and rebellious.  We are weak and confused.  Our problem is that we have such a hard time living up to them.

The answer is to wallow in the clear direction, to enjoy the assurance that God has given us a game plan.  While we do that we can rejoice in a knowledge of grace, the blood and the Holy Spirit.  It all comes together in a love that wants to obey on our side and wants to forgive on God’s side.

So?  Accept the tension set up by a need to obey and an assurance of forgiveness.  Strive without desperation.  Come short without frustration.  Rest without fear.