Grace Is NOT a Hall Pass

 

When I was in junior high I was selected to be a member of a high school dropout prevention club.  The school was working with the county on this special initiative and as a result, students in the club were given certain privileges to go along with the responsibilities.  One of those privileges was a hall pass signed by the head of school security.

The intention was for students to use the pass to attend special meetings and programs.  But needless to say, I did what most kids would do with that hall pass…I abused it.  We all did.  We’d stroll to class late and schedule unnecessary meetings, secure in the grace that hall pass would bring.   Eventually we almost spent as much time out of class as the students we were encouraging to stay in school! 

I don’t even remember how the club ended, or why, but I truthfully don’t think we accomplished all that we could have.  We were more focused on the hall pass than the students who needed our help.

Sometimes I think we use God’s grace like I used that hall pass.  We get into situations that were completely avoidable and when it comes time to deal with the issues that drove us there, we pull out our grace card and hide behind it.  Or, we mistreat people and expect them to rejoice over our half-hearted apologies because we are counting on them to have grace—rather than counting on ourselves to repent and be different.

The other day it occurred to me that sometimes we as Christians are the only group of people who can’t be identified as who we are by what we do.  I mean…liars, lie.  Thieves steal.   And, cheaters, cheat.  But too often in life, Christians don’t do Christ.  We do Oprah or some well-meaning self-help expert.  But, if we want to move to deeper levels in our walk, we have to start doing things differently.

This is not a call to be perfect in the secular sense, so that we are found without fault.  It means we are to pursue perfection in the biblical sense—which is an aim for maturity.  We are to desire to increasingly reflect Christ by choosing Him and His way in our daily life.  When we desire to grow and reflect Him more, grace ceases to be a hall pass.  It becomes the support and stepping stool we need to access the power and tools that are available to us to make real changes. 

In the same way that my junior high school club could not best fulfill its mission because we were abusing our privileges, many of us aren’t experiencing the lives we want because we are abusing His grace.  In order to do Christ like we should, we must:

1. Cultivate a Christlike Mind:  Every single day of our lives we must avail ourselves of the grace to change.  It is time to slow down and stop viewing life as a series of events where we struggle to include Jesus.  No, life is found in Him and lived through Him.  We must cultivate a Christlike mind.  We must be intentional in our application of what we know and learn.  This could be as simple as reading a scripture in the morning and then finding instances throughout the day to apply or reflect on what you learned.  Reading a scripture on forgiveness should be more than just a checkbox on the to-do list.  It is an opportunity to forgive all day long.  Forgive the driver that cut you off.  Forgive the woman who took your seat on the train.  Forgive the cashier who packed your bags with an attitude.  When we live with intent, we see Him more clearly and it deepens our relationship. 

2. Go Beyond Sunday Mornings:  Something happens on Sunday mornings that doesn’t happen most days of the week, but it should.  On Sundays, we focus on giving the day to the Lord.  We are focused on hearing words and principles that will change our lives.  We are content to be kind to others.  Our expectations of the Lord’s Day create an unmistakable environment.  Every morning should be greeted with the same intent with which we greet Sunday.  We may not be heading to a physical assembly of believers, but the mission for our day is the same—to serve Him and to know Him.  If we were to wake up with that intent on our mind and in our hearts, it would change our attitude.  Changing our attitudes will cause life and others to respond to us differently.  Create your atmosphere of praise and consecration every day!

Live It!   Make a commitment to live Steps 1 and 2 for the next 30 days.  Train yourself to consider Him in all that you do.  Your life will change and rather than coasting on grace, you’ll be growing in it.  Choose something you have always wanted to do or an activity that you enjoy.  Find a group of people, or organization, that will help you achieve your goal.  Set an appointment and go out there and allow God to do something different in your life in 2012!