Where are you living in the "do zone" or the "done zone"

But they became anxious when they were brought into Joseph's home, thinking, "It's the money; he thinks we ran off with the money on our first trip down here. And now he's got us where he wants us-he's going to turn us into slaves and confiscate our donkeys." Genesis 43:18 (Message)
Joaeph's way with his brothers after they'd treated him as if he were an enemy pictures well the way God deals with his family. We're inclined to believe that our right versus wrong performance is our pass into God's presence; but the truth is nothing we do can guarantee access into God's presence. God is entirely holy and only the perfect can attain to lifetime privileges of His favor. Through belief in Christ to salvation though, we can be made perfect, bought and brought into a lifelong relationship with Christ, where we live not to earn favor with God but as living proof of our love for Him. As Joseph's brothers sat afraid eating at their brother's table in fear of his avenging their hurting him; many Christians sit in God's presence, fearing His holy side, living with their performance constantly in view rather than allowing God's immeasurable love to be catalyst and control in all they are and do. The call is to live in the love of God, allowing His holy devotion to us to leave us so spellbound and changed that we live to reciprocate His great love. Our concept of God has great bearing on the way we live; as Christians we may find ourselves seeking to live in the "do zone" where we do all we can to earn God's merit; or we may live in the "done zone," where we allow His love to show itself as life-changing in our experience, a love that changes inside-out. When we seek to please God, we fail; when God's love compels us we live pleasing Him.

A humble view of ourselves helps us better bless others

One of our failings as people is to overestimate our importance to the success of others. The funny thing is while we're focusing on how integral we are to their success; we tend to neglect their real, immediate needs. My inspiration for writing this blog is my current pastor, Dan. I love the way he downplays his importance to my success; meanwhile doing everything he can to ensure I'm all God made me to be. God desires that we have a Biblical view of self. We may think we're beasts (in the Black-American sense) but we still have to sleep (Tripp Lee). Yes, we are just mud, dust stuck together; but as mud we have help roles to fill in the lives of others that we fill best. Reach into the lives of those in and out of your circle today. You'll touch them when you see yourself as a hand, a foot of Jesus to them; meet their needs selflessly, sacrificially, out of joy not duty. Be intentional about seeing yourself the way God sees you and touching others God's way.

Are you self-righteous or Christ-like in your relations with fellow Christians?

2 John reminds us of our individual responsibility to walk in the doctrine of Christ. However, in our quest to be doctrinaire, we may find ourselves becoming less and less like the Christ we desire to model before others. I've personally struggled with finding myself becoming self-righteous in my dealings with fellow believers, particularly those who didn't agree completely with my belief system. G.K. Chesterton speaks of our tendency to live in either a small or broader circle. If we're not careful we'll call ourselves people of "the way" when in reality we are small minded and inclined only toward people of our doctrinal persuasion. Though we must maintain sound doctrine, the expression of our stand for our beliefs is as or more important than our Jesus belief's themselves. God help us as Christians to relate to fellow believers in a way that becomes their place as fellow believers in Christ. As we take these words to heart, we'll leave the motives of others in God's hands; we'll be people slow to speak, quick to listen, a people prone to pray and embrace those different from us as God guides us, we'll deal with fellow Christians in a accepting way. The only people Christ reserved anger for were the Pharisees; God guard us from a show of righteousness, a vain show which knows nothing of true, heart religion.