I’m starting to believe that there are two ways to live the Christian life:
1. The way God says
2. The way most of us do it

The way God says to do it is from the inside out. It’s relational, borne out of a place of intimacy. That intimacy is developed in what the Bible calls the secret place or what some call their prayer closet. It is a place where we sit at His feet and spend time in His presence. We then live our lives out of that encounter with Him. It is the life that Mary modeled in Luke 10:38-42. It is a life free from striving, free from man made standards. It is so simple that most of us miss it.

The alternative is to live a works based Christianity with a list of all of the things we must do (and not do) to please God. This method has us constantly wondering if we are doing enough. It is based in human effort. In this method we are driven by guilt, shame and self-induced pressure. This method results in burn out, disillusionment. Why we fall prey to this religious system is beyond me, but most of us have at one time or another.

It’s a new year. And once again I have committed myself to the One Thing lifestyle. A life where I live from the deposit of the presence of God that I nurture out of my time with Him. It’s not that good works don’t matter. It’s that I do them out of my love for Him rather than doing them to gain His approval. You see I already have His approval. I’m already His beloved child. There is nothing more He would rather do than spend time with me. It is in that place that I learn to sense His heart, His love. When I leave that place I carry that love to a world that is in desperate need of that same love. I go as His delivery boy, dispensing His love to a lost and dying world. That is the life I’m called to lead. And it’s a great way to live