Learning the Hard Way

A Lesson on Legalism

She knew that it was important to read the Bible and pray every day. She’d known this since she was young. After all, you can’t have a relationship with someone you don’t talk to! Nor can you know someone you don’t listen to. So, she worked hard at creating a daily habit which grew into a morning ritual. Up with the birds, coffee in hand, Bible in front. It was quiet, serene even. It was calm, meditative. It was enriching, impactful.

She learned the hard way, however, that although there was great benefit to this discipline, it was dangerous. The feeling of doing something well was encouraging but there was also a feeling of pride and self-satisfaction—as if it meant she was a ‘good’ Christian. The danger was the temptation to believe that God loved her more because she was succeeding at reading her Bible. But if that was true would he love her less if she missed a day? What about a week? Or longer? Best to just keep pushing on. Try not to slip.

She learned that habits were healthy, but the danger of them was losing sight of grace.