My mom is one of those off-the-grid, homesteading types. She has a garden, a root cellar, and even a composting toilet that utilizes sawdust, which actually isn\u2019t as weird as you\u2019d think. Unless, of course, you get sawdust in your underwear. Then it\u2019s definitely weird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When my siblings and I were kids, my mom taught us how to make candles as part of our homeschooling curriculum. She\u2019d buy blocks of wax, heat them up in a pot on the stove, and give us long wicks to dip into the wax. After we let the wick sit in the wax for a second or two, we\u2019d take it out, pull it straight, let it dry for a few seconds, and then repeat the process until layer upon layer of wax built up and a long candlestick was formed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus said that the people who follow Him would be like lights in this world. I used to think that the process of becoming a light for Jesus was very linear: you move from point A to point B. Paul says in Romans 2 that it\u2019s God\u2019s goodness that leads us to repentance. So, after we initially accept the gospel, we should move on to something else, right? God\u2019s goodness led you to repentance? Congratulations. The law will take you forward from here.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d already heard the love portions of the message. I needed \u201cthe truth\u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n I felt guilty if I read a lot about God\u2019s love during my devotional time. Whenever I did something wrong, I felt like I needed to pull myself together. I\u2019d already heard the love portions of the message. I needed \u201cthe truth,\u201d as some might say. Believing the gospel of God\u2019s love was a been-there-done-that kind of deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years though, I\u2019ve found that this kind of thinking doesn\u2019t work. Grace is not something that we can simply dip our toes into and call it good. Following Jesus is less like going from point A to point B and more like making a candle. I need to be dipped in His love over and over again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At least, that\u2019s what I gleaned from Paul\u2019s declaration, \u201cFor I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified\u201d and Peter\u2019s instruction to \u201cabove all, love each other deeply\u201d (1 Peter 4:8). The biblical writers didn\u2019t see God\u2019s love as something you could move on from but as something you return to repeatedly. They were continually baptizing themselves in God\u2019s love so they could serve as lights in the world. This tells me that my starting point in the journey of faith should also be my destination if I want to grow as they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We must embrace the continual process of leaning into grace to become more like Jesus.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Focusing on God\u2019s love doesn\u2019t mean that you don\u2019t value His law. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Focusing on God\u2019s love means that you know that the law is so high and holy and sin runs so deep within us that there is no way you could ever pull yourself up by your bootstraps. We must embrace the continual process of leaning into grace to become more like Jesus. Every step of our journey must always be centered in what He has done for us. Therefore, we don\u2019t study God\u2019s love too much. We don\u2019t study it enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might be worried that you\u2019ll become \u201cunbalanced\u201d or start thinking it\u2019s okay to rob a bank if you think about God\u2019s love too much. But I wouldn\u2019t worry about that. The Bible never actually tells us to aim for \u201cbalance.\u201d Instead, it tells us: \u201cJust as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him\u201d and \u201cHe who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ\u201d (Colossians 2:6, Philippians 1:6, NIV).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My mom is one of those off-the-grid, homesteading types. 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