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How does Jesus as a friend impact our relationships?  Jessica Thompson in Everyday Grace has some thoughts.  Here are a few chapters from her chapter on friendship: God doesn't feel obligated to be our friend; it is his joy to be in relationship with us. This obedience is not what makes them friends; it is what characterizes his friends...If we are true believers of Christ, we will obey. His love for us is what engenders a heart of obedience. Being obedient will obviously lead to a better life for us. God has given us rules for living so we can know how to enjoy him and life the most. Relationship with God is the ultimate goal of Christianity. There is one Messiah, and you and I are not him, and we shouldn't expect our friends to be our Messiah either.  Beloved friends of Christ, may we never forget that all of the love and acceptance we look for in each other can be found only in the arms of Christ.         

I am currently reading Everyday Grace by Jessica Thompson.  She is also the author of Give Them Grace and a family devotion called Exploring Grace Together. She has so many good things to say in Chapter 3 that my book is full of green highlighter.  Here are a few quotes to think about: We have too high a view of our ability to do things right if we just have the right instructions...we also have too low a view of God and his love for us. In our laser-like attention to the doing, we forget what has been done. We can get so caught up in the doing that we forget about the people we are supposed to love. Here is another reason I think most relationship books are off: They focus on the doing. As you taste (Psalm 34:8) this multifaceted relationship with God, it will transform all of your other relationships. There is no "one size fits all" when it comes to relationships. The whole Bible is written in such a way that in most verses we see the done before we see...

This book was recommended to me by Russell.  We met while I was on sabbatical and had a great conversation about discipleship, gospel, law, grace, parenting and more.  We covered a lot of ground in our 3 hour conversation outside Starbuck's in Dallas. Russell said he has read this book several times.  Based on what I have read so far, I think I might refer back and read it often too. Here are some quotes from the first chapter: Real obedience does not only consist of external good works and acts of love...True holiness is a matter of the heart...true holiness is not simply a matter of refraining from acting out your sinful lusts...True holiness means that you delight in doing God's will; you long to do it more than you long to do anything else! True holiness means that you cheerfully obey God. My whole book is about the means by which you can become holy, but many people will see this part as irrelevant and useless. Why? Because they only want to know what they have...

This is the title of the final chapter of Charis by Preston Sprinkle.  I thought my last post would be the last on this book, but there were too many more great thoughts that needed to be shared.  Here are quotes from final chapter and epilogue: Only unconditional, stubborn love toward your enemy produces ripple effects strong enough to change the world. We are enemies, loved and pursued by our Creator, who will stop at nothing to reconcile us to Himself. Such reconciliation happend on the cross. . . It was Jesus' declaration "It is finished" that made God love you. And when Jesus declared, "It is finished," He meant it. God's punishment for our sin was paid for, permanently settled, finished--100 percent. If you have responded in faith to God's free pardon through Jesus, then God will never punish you for your sin. It's finished. No more. If you screw up today or tomorrow (which you will), it's already been paid for through Jesus. "T...

We have come to believe that the law is what makes us obey.  According to Tchividjian in One Way Love , that is not how it worked for Zacchaeus or his life and even yours.  So the Law serves us by showing us how to love God and others. But we fail to this every day. And when we fail, it is the Gospel that brings comfort by reminding us that God's infinite approval of us doesn't depend on our keeping of the Law but on Christ's keeping of the Law for us. And guess what? This makes me want to obey him more, not less!

Yesterday, I posted about asking God to speak to me directly from His Word.  I use the pattern of Samuel when he said, "Speak, for your servant is listening" from 1 Samuel 3:1-10. Here is the passage God put on my heart on Thursday from Proverbs 3:1-12 3  My son,do not forget my teaching,      but keep my commands in your heart, 2  for they will prolong your life many years      and bring you peace and prosperity. 3  Let love and faithfulness never leave you;      bind them around your neck,      write them on the tablet of your heart. 4  Then you will win favor and a good name      in the sight of God and man. 5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart      and lean not on your own understanding; 6  in all your ways submit to him,      and he will make your paths straight. 7  Do not be wise i...