Behavior And Grace

SAT., MAR. 30, 1985, 6:56 AM
FARM, STUDY

Grace is My gift, o son. Grace is not earned or merited. Grace is not dependent on your “being good.” Grace signifies that I have much faith in the relationship that is formed when you accept My grace, for that relationship becomes the basis for behavior. Grace says that I am more interested in who you are than in what you do.

Now, who are you when you have accepted My grace? You have taken a step away from your individuality and a step toward being at one with Me again (for this is from whence the essence of you sprung). You know that you are in relationship with Me, and this affects what you do and say. It doesn’t make you perfect (except by definition), and it doesn’t make you the paragon of law-keepers. It does mean that you are loving, and considerate, and forgiving in relations with other. When you concern is for your welfare only you are forgetting who you are.

In the realm of politics it is difficult to prescribe behaviors that each saved person, living under My grace, will display. I have to say that My servants show up all along the political spectrum. Some are for more missiles as a means of protecting this relatively free way of life in which I can be acknowledged and worshipped without fear of reprisal. They see Me as a Sovereign Lord who has used force before and who wants His way to prevail.

The other extreme are servants who would do away with all missiles and other arms and have faith that I can counter the selfish concerns that non-Christians have. Are such Christians naïve about the world and its realities? Of course, but wasn’t I equally naïve when I died on the cross for the sins of the world? Didn’t I know better? Yet that which you celebrate at this time of the year is evidence that it has changed the lives of many and made a positive difference, here in the earth.

How should a born again Christian feel about government spending? Should one avoid major taxes, as you do, or seek to pay more taxes in order that government might help many who do not do well in helping themselves? There simply are Christians who favor small government and Christians who feel that government should do more. These are people who truly have accepted My grace, but who do not behave alike in the arena of earth life.

Should one who is in Christ seek more education or should she be satisfied with the knowledge and wisdom of Holy Scripture? I instruct you in this way, but I still call on you to continue being a learner in your secular field. I am in the lives of some who are prominent in fields galore. And I also call some to restrict their attention to Me and My Best Words.