Duty and Delight - End Week One

Don’t you just love it when God brings the same message across your path through several different venues whether through a person, a speaker or some kind of written material?  That is precisely what happened to me the other day as I was working on week one of our homework in Duty or Delight. 

I have been slowing reading through a book on systematic theology.  Yes, I know what you are thinking.  Is she for real?  Sometimes I scare myself when I say these kinds of things.  Is this the same chick who can’t remember her cell phone number and who repeatedly has to read the same exact pasta box over and over every time she cooks to find out how long to boil the noodles?  Me, reading a book written by such a noteworthy scholar as Wayne Grudem with degrees from Harvard. Westminster Seminary and Cambridge?   He seems to be way out of my league.   I don’t know where this kind of appetite for study comes from but it is real and it is genuine.  No pretention here folks. Love learning about God.

So anyway, there I was perusing the chapter on God’s incommunicable attributes (that means ones that are unique to only Him), when I zeroed in on the first one, God’s independence.  Mr. Grudem’s definition reads as follows “God does not need us or the rest of creation for anything, yet we and the rest of creation can glorify him and bring him joy.”  (Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem p. 160) He went on to talk about how God is perfectly able to accomplish His purposes without our assistance and while He doesn’t need our help that doesn’t mean that we don’t matter to Him.  He pointed out that this is the key to true significance.  Our significance isn’t because of what we do or how we can serve Him but because God decided that we would be important to Him!  We are significant because He says so. 

I was thinking about what we have studied all week about “Knowing God has chosen us” and the common pitfalls we stumble through.  I would have to say that Mr. Grudem’s definition fits beautifully into our first category of a twisted theology.  I think if we aren’t careful we can turn things upside down and think that God needs us to do this or that which is why we were chosen.  While we get to glorify Him through our lives and bring Him joy, He doesn’t need us for anything.  We don’t serve God out of obligation but out of choice.   A pastor put it well to me once when I was overwhelmed by ministry burdens, “Arlene, you don’t got to, you get to”. 

I think it is our constant struggle with wanting to feel significant and to make a difference that clouds our theology and trips us up.  What if we actually chose to believe that we are already significant because God says so!  Can’t you just feel the chains of bondage to approval addictions breaking?   What if we were to actually not only believe but act like we believe we are accepted in the beloved apart from anything we do?  That we are significant to God because of the very fact that we are His?  Would that, could that be enough?  This is what I want in the very core of my belief system.  The ability to grasp the concept that I don’t need to work myself to death to earn His approval but to know with every fiber of my being that I already have it.  While I am not as bad as I was when that pastor changed my perspective, I confess I am not completely resting where I would like.

So how did you do this week with your homework?  What pitfall did you relate to the most?  Our twisted theology?  Our insecurity?  Our fear or our shame?  I am fairly certain that God’s spiritual hammer hit the nail on the head for at least one of them for you too. 

Ok then here are your three reminders to keep you on track:

1) You will be working on week two of the homework Knowing God Has Redeemed Us.  You will start on page 37 and work through to page 59.

2) Your memory verse is “We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”  Ephesians 1:7-8

3) Lastly, here is the recap video for you to watch.

We will be meeting next Tuesday, July 10^th at 9:30 to have worship, discussion time and fellowship.  Can’t wait to see you all.  Miss those I know and looking forward to meeting those I don’t. 

To those of you who are participating only through this blog, we would love for you to leave a comment to let us know how you are doing.  We are very aware that you are just as much a part of this Bible study as those that are meeting together.  We haven't forgotten that you are there.  Let us know how God is speaking to you.  We look forward to hearing your comments and getting to know you. 

Love you all so much!!