On Sunday I preached part three in a series called "That's not in the Bible!" and the message centered on the phrase "in all things moderation."
I talked about wisdom when it comes to having self-control. The Bible teaches in Galatians 5 that self-control is in fact a fruit of the Spirit. Moderation of certain things is a good thing.
However, I spent the majority of the sermon talking about how there are some things that should not be moderated. We should not moderate love. We should not moderate forgiveness. We should not moderate prayer. We should not moderate worship.
I'm so glad that God did not moderate his grace towards us. I am so glad that God did not "sort of" save us but saved us all the way. God has not mostly forgiven us, He has forgiven us for everything we've done, are doing and will do if we seek His forgiveness in Christ.
What then should our response be? In 1 Thessalonians 16-18 Paul writes: 16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. According to Paul, there's no place for moderation when it comes to joy, prayer and gratitude.
Our response should be like Mary's when she pours a year's worth of perfume on Jesus' feet and worships him with everything she has and everything she is. What a perfect example of worship without moderation.
Moderation in some things: yes
Moderation in all thigns: no
1 comment:
This is beautiful. Thank you for encouraging us NOT to be moderate in doing good!
For Christ-followers, it is not about a perceived balance between good and evil. But would it be fair to say that, in pursuing all things good, we should be achieving a balance between diverse "goods"?
Verity3
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