Learning

Noah woke up in the middle of the night, and though I was up to feed him with a bottle, he would have none of it. He pushed the bottle away and cried all the louder. There was only one person he wanted to see. We are trying to wean him off of nighttime feedings because he really doesn't need them, but he still thinks he does. His bottle refusal is only further proof that he's more upset than hungry. Yes, we're reading many good books on training kids to soothe themselves, but if you have any tips, they are of course welcome. Anyway, I'm up now, so I figured I'd blog.

I'm reading an excellent book recommended to us during our "Living in Grace" training. It's called "Holiness by Grace" by Bryan Chapell, the president of Covenant Seminary. It's just an honest practical book on what it looks like to bring the doctrine of justification by grace into our daily situations, to be truly changed at the heart level, and not just in outward behavior. This was the central theme of that week of training, as well as of a class we took through our church called "Sonship." It has been life-changing for us, and I need to be renewed in these ideas daily, because I am so prone to base my acceptance before God on my daily performance. There's a great summary of this which Chapell quotes in the book - it is by Richard Lovelace, from his book, Dynamics of Christian Life:

"Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives. Many have so light an apprehension of God's holiness and of the extent and guilt of their sin that consciously they see little need for justification, although below the surface of their lives they are deeply guilt-ridden and insecure. Many others have a theoretical commitment to this doctrine, but in their day-to-day existence they rely on their sanctification for justification...drawing their assurance of acceptance with God from ehtier sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience. Few know enough to start each day with a thoroughgoing stand upon Luther's platform: you are accepted, looing outward in faith and claiming the wholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground for acceptance, relaxing in that quality of trust which will produce increasing sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude."

The last part there particularly gets me, and has proven true in my life, in marriage, etc. Can I start each day, each hour, each particular task or step of faith with the belief that I am accepted fully because of Christ, and see what entirely new direction of freedom and joy comes to the task? More often than not I find the answer is no. On those occasions which I do start with the perfection of Christ credited to my account, I do find a new rest, a load lifted, and actually a deeper motivation to labor intently.
But I am weak, and quickly forget. If you should think of it, pray that these concepts would be central in our lives, and in our ministry in Peru. We would love to do the same for you.