Episode Transcript
Chad: The more you experience life, uh, the more you realize that self-reliance and all this stuff about self- you know, my self-worth and all those self dash whatever you want to fill in the blank in, all those things are, are chains on your soul because inevitably you're going to fall on your face. Uh, you're, there's going to be bad things that happen that make you realize that all of this focus upon me, me, me, is, is actually constructing an iron cage around me.
It's not liberating; it's enslaving. And what's liberating is to know that, number one, I have people around me who love and care for me, and then I can love and care for as well. And most importantly, it's liberating in the fact that, you know what, I don't, I don't have to have my act together.
I don't have to always be this, uh, super strong, rugged individual for Christ to care for me.
Justin: You don't have to be a green beret.
Chad: beret In fact, what, what I think the Christian life is all about is not getting stronger and stronger; it's becoming more and more aware of our own weakness. And, and the more that we are aware of our own weakness, the more we're aware of that it, it's not up to us.
The gospel doesn't say God's done his part and now it's up to you to, to do yours. The gospel says God loves you in Christ fully and completely, loves you, forgives you, makes you- makes you his own. You are free. Uh, you're free from doing all the shoulds and ought to's and shalts and shalt nots in order to please God, because he's already pleased with you in Christ. And having been pleased with you, making you his child- giving you all these gifts over and over and over, now he's like, "You're free. There's nothing you could do to make me happy with you because I'm already pleased with you in Christ. And so, now you're free, what are you going to do with your freedom? Well, I guess you're going to freely love and freely serve those who are around you.
That's what free people- that's what free people do. Enslaved people, enslaved people are um, all about myself, all about- it's all about me.
Jon: That's right.
Chad: Liberated people are all about the neighbor.
Jon: And they can't be quiet because they want to liberate people.
Justin: Not only is there joy and, and just the freedom inherently in being a liberated person, you're actually more effective in loving neighbor.
Everyday Grace 061
