664. Successful Christian Living: What Must I Do to Achieve it?

Churches are known for pushing an agenda containing a variety of principles and moral standards for the members to work at trying to live up to in order to attain a higher level of dedication and perhaps even a greater degree of blessing and acceptance from God. It sounds right and it will preach good on Sundays. But this has led many parishioners or former church-goers to a place of frustration and guilt… even unworthiness, as they struggle to live up to the standard they have been taught by others who haven’t been able to live up to the standard they teach themselves. A question should be asked… what specifically do we need to do in order to achieve the status of successfully “living the Christian life?” Rest assured, the list provided by religion will change and evolve, and usually without the specifics. Our program this week encourages believers in Christ to stop chasing the imaginary carrot that religion will dangle in front of them but will never bring the satisfaction they are seeking.



   

662. What About "Christian Laws and Rules"?

Letter from a Growing in Grace podcast listener:

“I have not been able to keep any rules the Bible or the church says to keep. I am at a loss as I write this because I am so sick of failing and being miserable. I can’t seem to live the Christian life as has been taught to me by various people in the church and even in my own reading of the Bible. I so desire to be freed from this law inside of me to do what is right. I just want to enjoy my life. I don’t know what to do or where to turn. I almost want to just stop believing. Please help.”

If you can relate to these types of struggles in your own life or of someone you know, check-out this week’s program.  If you’ve been taught a rules-based religion that puts the pressure upon you to work at being sanctified, accepted by God, blessed, forgiven, etc., with “Christian laws” that nobody can live up to, it’s time to remember what the gospel is about.