Journal Entry ~ 06/19/18

12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. - James 2:12-13

These verses cause confusion for some believers. If Jesus died for our sins, and we are forgiven, I thought we were exempt from judgment?  So, what does it mean to be judged by the law of liberty?

If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, then we are saved from God’s eternal wrath and punishment. We will not face His eternal judgment and have been promised a place in heaven with Him. Christ bore the punishment for our sins and we can stand a forgiven people in front of God. 

However, we know from scripture that we still will stand before God in judgment of our lives. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. - 2 Corinthians 5:10. Our sins have been forgiven by Christ, but our actions as believers will still be judged. The things we have done to glorify Christ will be rewarded, but we will still need to answer for those things we have done out of selfish motives. 

James says here “So speak and so act” as a way to encompass our whole conduct. Everything we do will be judged by the law of liberty. Our words and our actions - it is not good enough to be merely speakers of the Word, we must follow through in our actions. 

I love the reference in these verse to the law of liberty because they bring to mind the true freedom we find when we surrender to God’s laws. So many in this world challenge God’s laws as restrictive, and at first glance, I suppose they may seem that way. But when you’ve surrendered your life to the perfect law of God, and you work to apply ALL aspects of His law to your life, what you do find is a victory and a freedom that you can only find in Him. It’s a liberty from the way of thinking the world keeps you shackled to, that you don’t even understand until obedience to His law breaks those chains. 

When we stand before God, we will receive mercy in the same measure we hand it out. Pause and think about that. If you claim to know Christ, but you do not show mercy to others in all that you do, your profession of faith is worthless. Showing mercy to others demonstrates that you understand the mercy He has so graciously given to you. 


Press on ~ you are loved 💗

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Medical Update ~ 09/27/17

Image
Today was a challenging day.  I met with the oncologist to discuss chemo as part of my treatment plan.  The oncologist explained there were 3 additional invasions discovered during surgery, so there were actually 4 isolated invasions in the breast tissue.  To review - my diagnosis is Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  All 4 of the invasions are HER2+ (aggressive) and hormone negative (recurrent).  My oncologist walked us through the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCM) guidelines for treatment of this type of aggressive, recurrent cancer - chemo and radiation. The good news is God had already moved the mountain in my heart opposing chemo, and rested me in a place of acceptance.  While my initial prayers focused on not having to have chemo as part of my treatment, after hearing I had multiple invasions, He moved me to a place of understanding that chemo is a necessary part of my treatment.  If there were 4 invasions in the sample they took, there co
Read more

Medical Update 11/09/17

Hi friends ~ Thank you for the way you continue to check in on me by reading these updates.  Your support and encouragment remind me that I am not alone in this journey, and your presence on this path strengthens me. 💗 I'm sitting in the chair receiving my 6th chemo treatment as I type this.  6th!!  That's halfway through the Taxol!  My emotions are completely divided - part of me wants to dance with excitement for making it halfway through the first step, while the other part of me sees the six treatments I still have left as an eternity.  I will still receive the Herceptin for a year, but the end of Taxol means I'm closer to the radiation treatments, which mean I'm closer to returning to work and regaining a sense of normalcy in my life.  There are some days I'm content to stay on this path, and some days that I just want to get off the ride.  But God has been faithful through it all. Physically, this was a more challenging week for me.  I'm not sure wh
Read more

My Journey Begins...

I am a believer in Christ, and I have breast cancer.     On August 17, 2017, I was diagnosed with an aggressive (HER2+), recurrent (hormone negative) type of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma.  At this point, they have not yet staged my cancer because they are waiting for the biopsy results from a suspicious spot in the second breast. The biopsy is scheduled for September 5th, with a lumpectomy to follow on September 7th.  They will formally stage my cancer after they biopsy my lymph nodes, which will be taken during the surgery.  It doesn't make any sense to me that I have a cancer diagnosis - I am a fairly healthy woman who runs 2 miles almost every day and eats a gluten-free, primarily paleo diet, with no family history at all.  But it makes sense to God, and so here I am. Update ~ They found 4 isolated invasions during the lumpectomy.  Due to the nature of my cancer (HER2+ and ER-), the recommended protocol is chemotherapy and radiation.  Beginning in October, my chemotherapy regime
Read more