There are pressures in life that try to force you to see the present in dismal ways.
The state of your bank account, the things you haven’t done, relational demands, work deadlines and targets, the list goes on. Sometimes those pressures push us just to think the worst. Maybe it’s too much, maybe there are feelings of inadequacy. We are then bombarded with negative impressions of what could be. That’s not helped by our perceptions of how things happened in the past.
What’s interesting is how the perception of the context affects present decisions. This is where the grace of God comes into its own.
God’s grace says consider the context. From eternity past He created man to be reflecting His image for His glory. No need for shame, no need for guilt. The appearance of Jesus shows what that life looks like and it is one full of joy, full of peace, free from shame and free from guilt. Faith in His life, death and resurrection embraces us in this new life full of joy and peace. Free from shame and guilt.
The context informs the present because the greater reality of this outweighs whatever perception we previously had of it. It doesn’t take away the deadlines, demands from relationships and the bank account. It does say connecting to the life of peace offers space for wisdom to allow us to do what we can in the midst of the situation. It does say connecting to the life of joy removes any sense of overwhelming attachment to things that in the light of eternity don’t matter.
Being consciously aware of godly context in the present is tricky. It is possible as we see life in the Spirit as being the only one that matters.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 