It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.
1 Peter 2:15-16
Dear God, is this maybe Peter’s contribution to the fictional conversation I talked about last week between James (brother of Jesus) and Paul? Works vs. grace? Peter comes along as says (my paraphrase), “Yes, you are free, but you belong to God, so do what’s right! James, you are correct when you say faith without works is worthless. Paul, I agree that there is now no condemnation and we are set free by grace. You’re both right.”
I feel like I need to apologize to you for last night. I had an opportunity to address about a hundred people about the work they do to help others as volunteers and I didn’t prepare enough for it. I was up there talking and I had asked you what I should say, but I didn’t really sit down to listen to your answer. I didn’t dig in. And what I said was probably “fine,” but I don’t think it gave you the glory you deserve. I don’t think it moved the needle in nudging anyone closer to you through relationship with you and the service you have called them to. I should have talked about your offer for grace and your subsequent call for works. You’ve laid it out here for me over the last couple of weeks through these prayers and I missed it. I’m sorry.
Father, help me to continue to grind. Help me to grind in my relationship with you, in my marriage, in my work, and in my other relationships and activities. Help me to embrace the grace you give me while remembering the duty I have to you because of it. And thank you for everything.
In Jesus name I pray,
Amen
Emails to God 