"It's a beahwy important lesson."

Yesterday morning, my Little Lady was sitting nearby on the kitchen floor while I worked, playing with a little Bible. You know, the miniature ones that are just the New Testament and Psalms? Yeah, it's funny - those are a hot commodity in our house. The kids LOVE them.

Anyway.

So she's flipping through and talking and singing, making up songs like "Joy to the world, Jesus saved us because He loves us," and then she stopped and said, "Mama, do you want me to read a passage to you?" Well, homegirl can't read yet, but she turned a few pages, and in a very clear voice recited one of our family memory passages. (It was James 3:2-12, if you're curious. :) Unwholesome talk of all kinds has been growing at an alarming rate in our home, so we geared some memory work toward that to help us teach them how to sort through their own hearts; may God take our seeds that we sow in faith and burrow them deeply in their hearts!)

Then she flipped a few pages and said, "Do you want me to read you another chapter?" "Yes, baby, I'd love that." {cheeseball grin} "It's a beahwy important lesson, Mama." "Okay, I'm ready."

"When Jesus saves us, then we obey His Word."

I smiled slowly, and looked to see if Husband was listening, which he was. "That's actually really good theology, Baby Girl," he called out.

It is good theology, you know? How else do you respond to the grace poured out? When you recognize the depravity of our condition, the need for a Savior, the righteousness transferred freely...how else do you respond but with gratitude and a deep-seeded desire to honor and obey?

Not "if we obey." Not "when we obey at least 50% of the time." No...there is a saying that all ground is level at the foot of the cross. There is no need to clean ourselves up before reaching out a hand to the Savior. Read the gospels and see who he hung out with. He begs us to come to Him first, even with all our messy junk, and then to repent and turn away from our sin. It is the very beauty of the Light of the King that makes all else look like tarnished entanglements, as they are. It is his kindness that leads us to repentance, the (to paraphrase Chalmers) expulsive power of this new affection for Christ that grows in us, that grows us in grace to chip away the pieces of the former self and obey His Word more fully, with more joy, and more grace. Further up, and further in (CS Lewis).

It is a very important lesson. I still get them backwards sometimes. Even now, having been a believer for over 10 years, I still think I need to clean myself up to come before the King of Kings. But that's His work. He saves us, and He refines us. As I have quoted before from "Stepping Heavenward," He is just as willing and able to sanctify as to redeem us.

Happy New Year, my friends. May we all know the grace and love of Christ and the joy of obedience more personally and more fully in the year to come.