Skip to main content

Why I Need The Boot

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor (Galatians 3:24-25) 
         Sometimes, I just have to laugh at what God does. This morning, as I explained to people who haven't talked with me over the past couple weeks, I shared my suspicion that once the doctor gives me permission to go back to wearing a shoe on my left foot, it's not likely I'll refrain from doing things I probably should not do. The boot reminds me that I'm supposed to be restricting activity levels. It makes it difficult to do things I shouldn't be doing.  A good pair of walking or work shoes would probably protect my foot nicely, but it would be required to protect my foot from a wider variety of circumstances. As much as I want to be rid of the boot, there's part of me that knows me too well. That part of me says, "Keep the boot."
       In one of my Sunday School classes, we're discussing Romans, and part of the discussion had to do with the purpose of the Law. One of those purposes, as described in today's Scripture, is as a tutor, teacher or guardian. Its job is to instruct us when we're doing right and wrong, and teach us to do right. The teacher went on to describe two abuses of the Law, one being legalism (thinking that keeping the law is our means to please God) and the other being antinomianism (license, the idea that we have salvation and therefore we can do whatever we want.)
        As I said, I have to laugh. My boot is the Law. It tells me what I can and can't do. My shoes are, at least at the moment, license. None of us keep the Law. I have done things in my boot that I should not have done. No one may have said specifically that I should not do them, but I knew I should not have been doing them and I did them anyway.  I'm thankful for the boot, however, because I know that without it, I'd be doing even more that I shouldn't.  If you've never worn an air cast boot, think of the comparison between wearing hiking boots and flip flops.
          So, why did God allow me or cause me to tear the ligaments and tendons that connect my toe to the plantar plate? Because by doing so, He was helping me explain that the reason for the Law is to proscribe limits in order to prevent damage that would occur if we wore only our consciences, or perhaps no moral code at all.  It was never meant to heal us, any more than a cast actually produces healing, but properly used, it promotes the sort of behavior that will allow healing to occur.
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Birthday of
James Buchanan Eads
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more