Questions For The Road:

1. Do you consider yourself a rule-follower or a rule-breaker? How does this affect the way you relate to God?
2. What does it look like for you practically to live in a relationship with God that views God’s Grace as an unmerited gift, that you don’t have to strive to earn?
3. As a daily pursuit of a closer relationship with God, in what ways can you Draw Near to God?

Posturing our lives UNDER GOD puts its emphasis on appeasing God through behaviors—either in the form of rituals or morality. But Jesus says His burden is easy and light. – Pastor Chad Garrison

• I am a rule follower who randomly breaks them. I tend to think that having all my 1.2.3’s in order makes me a well-organized person. Sometimes this thinking messes with me because it causes me to think if something isn’t orderly or perfect that I am a mess. It affects how I see myself. I start to procrastinate and worry that I am not going to do a good job at what has been asked of me. It kind of puts me in the headspace of needing to be perfect to approach God. I feel a separateness from God in my soul and I start acting out of fear instead of faith.
• I have to swallow this statement whole every day: that grace requires nothing of me. The streak in me that tries to be perfect has to be submitted to that grace over and over again. I have to remind my soul all the time that I don’t have to perform to be accepted. 
• My rhythms help me draw near to God through my devotional, journaling, blogging, and prayer life I consistently say with my life: Lord I want to know you more. I love to read and learn then ask the Lord, “what does that mean that I hear you saying?”. Then I like to write out what I hear and what lessons I can take away with me for the day. Prayer is woven throughout the process.  

Who knows if we will ever have it all figured out or if this life will be a continual process of ebb and flow in our walk with the Lord. I have found that whenever I think I’ve got something figured out and fail in it. I’ve come to see this as God helping me to remain humble and in sync with Him instead of pridefully moving forward thinking I’ve got it all figured out. In this week’s message about being under God, I sensed a place in me that still feels that if I don’t do all the right things I will not be blessed. The strange thing is that I am already blessed because I know Him…

and I miss that understanding. How many times do I have to hear Him say, “I just want to be with you through it? I don’t know if I will ever stop going around that mountain but what I do know is that He keeps calling me to come!

All is grace,

Starla