Receiving the Promises Through Faith

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree: That the blessings of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
~ Galations 3:13-14


Redeemed is from the Greek word "exagorazo"; to ransom, rescue, purchase out, buy up from the possession or power of someone, to set free from service or bondage. 


What a powerful word that is!  We are no longer bound by the curse of the law but set free by grace. How many of us grew up thinking that we could somehow earn our salvation or earn the promise of the blessings that God's Word holds for us? I know I did -- or at least, I thought I was supposed to be able to. Of course, I always fell short so I always thought that I didn't deserve and couldn't receive the promises because I wasn't "good enough".


The problem is, we can never be "good enough". The good news is, we don't have to be.

"He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)"

~ 1 Timothy 3:4-5 (NASB)

What does the state of your affairs tell others about your walk with Christ? This is something the Lord has been dealing with me about recently. It started out by necessity... my yard and house were a mess and had to be cleaned up. But, as I started "Operation Cleanup" a lot of other connections were brought to mind.

Paul directed Timothy to look at how potential church leaders managed their household. You might wonder why. What could that possibly have to do with their ability to lead in church?

Actually, it has a lot to do with it. It is a rare person whose home, car, children and finances don't reflect the kind of work they will produce. If your environment is full of clutter and unfinished projects, it's likely that your work will be the same.

10 Year Text

"Speak what you think now in hard words, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said today". 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 28 Assignment: 10-year Text by Tia Singh

Imagine your future self, ie, you 10 years from now. If he/she were to send you a tweet or text message, 1) what would it say and 2) how would that transform your life or change something you’re doing, thinking, believing or saying today?

Alive-est

"Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. If we follow the truth, it will bring us out safe at last." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 27 Assignment: Alive-est by Sam Davidson

When did you feel most alive recently? Where were you? What did you smell? What sights and sounds did you experience? Capture that moment on paper and recall that feeling. Then, when it's time to create something, read your own words to reclaim a sense of being to motivate you to complete a task at hand.

When did I feel most alive recently...

Personal Recipe

"I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. I much prefer that it should be of a lower strain, so it be genuine and equal, than that it should be glittering and unsteady. I wish it to be sound and sweet, and not to need diet and bleeding." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Personal Recipe by Harley Schreiber

Think about the type of person you'd NEVER want to be 5 years from now. Write out your own personal recipe to prevent this from happening and commit to following it. "Thought is the seed to action."

Most Ordinary

"Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 25 Assignment: Most Ordinary by Patti Digh

We are our most potent at our most ordinary. And yet most of us discount our “ordinary” because it is, well, ordinary. Or so we believe. But my ordinary is not yours. Three things block us from putting down our clever and picking up our ordinary: false comparisons with others (I’m not as good a writer as _____), false expectations of ourselves (I should be on the NYTimes best seller list or not write at all), and false investments in a story (it’s all been written before, I shouldn’t bother). What are your false comparisons? What are your false expectations? What are your false investments in a story? List them. Each keep you from that internal knowing about which Emerson writes. Each keeps you from making your strong offer to the world. Put down your clever, and pick up your ordinary.

Intuition

"The secret of fortune is joy in our hands." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Day 24 Assignment: Intuition by Susan Piver

If you could picture your intuition as a person, what would he or she look like? If you sat down together for dinner, what is the first thing he or she would tell you?